


Mine, Once

by slytherin_nette



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Coming of Age, F/M, Female Edward Elric, Flirting, Genderbending, Mutual Pining, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Slow Burn, Spoilers, this will be a long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-03 18:50:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 63,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13347336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherin_nette/pseuds/slytherin_nette
Summary: Three years after Edeline Elric resigned from Mustang’s team, she finds herself re-drafted as a State Alchemist under the command of Lieutenant-General Olivier Armstrong, with the task to investigate and research a series of alchemy-related murders within the Military. The assignment itself would have been simple enough, if not for the fact that the military was still filled with annoying perverts, psychotic alchemists, and a stupid former Colonel who seemed to be harboring a childish grudge against her for siding with his rival General. Sometimes, Ed really missed just dealing with the Homunculi.





	1. Kiss Goodbye

“Here are more requests for supplies and requisitions, Colonel.” 

Weary onyx eyes blinked open slowly, revealing the view of Riza Hawkeye as she stared down at him, a look of concern marring her features. With a sigh, Roy Mustang sat up in his seat and reached for the stack of paperwork in Riza’s hands, tucking them under the remaining large piles of paperwork which had already been piling up on his desk all month.

Observing his exhausted expression, Riza’s expression faltered uncharacteristically and she gave him a small smile.

“Sir, just to remind you, you need not wear yourself out. If you would allow it, Havoc and I could assist—“

“That’s alright, Lieutenant.” Roy cut her off gently, looking up and giving her a tired but grateful smile.

“It’s understandable that the military is in dire need of supplies right now, given what’s happened.” He leaned back against his chair again, raising a hand to massage the bridge of his nose. “Three months since the Promised Day and our men are still recovering. We’ve barely even finished rebuilding headquarters. I miss our old office.” He whined, scowling at their small makeshift office and glancing sullenly out the window at the new, albeit still incomplete, headquarters building. 

“Your office would have probably been finished a _lot_ faster if you hadn’t made so many requests about its architecture and interior designs.” Riza pointed out flatly, an irritated expression on her face.

At her words, Roy only scowled further and he gave her a slightly affronted glare. “Of course I had to interfere, Lieutenant! Can you imagine – a future _Fuhrer_ holding office in such a dingy, unkempt room?” He shook his head before grumbling and reluctantly turning back to the stack of papers in front of him. “Anyway, was there anything else you needed?”

“Yes, Sir.” Riza paused and glanced swiftly behind her, finally drawing Roy’s attention to the small blonde who was standing outside the doors to his office. “Ed’s here, she says she wants to have a word in private.” She told him.

“Send her in—“

Before he could even finish his sentence, a quick flash of red and gold zoomed past him and a few seconds later, Roy found himself staring into the wide, cocky smirk of none other than Edeline Elric, their youngest State Alchemist, his insubordinate subordinate and, more importantly, the newly branded heroine of Amestris.

_Great. This is just what I needed this morning._

He greeted Edeline Elric with a pointed glare as the headstrong blonde reluctantly walked into the room, her boots heavy as they trudged along the floor. Shaking his head, Roy caught Riza’s eye and gave her a nod, signaling for her to leave and waiting until she had exited the room, closing the door behind her. Ed scoffed loudly at his glare and plopped down noisily onto the seat across his desk, deliberately leaning back and lifting her feet to place them obnoxiously on his table. 

Smothering a groan of annoyance, Roy leaned back against his chair and studied the young blonde before him.

“Fullmetal.”

Before he could stop himself, Roy’s gaze lingered longer on her slender right arm – her newly acquired flesh arm. Lifting his gaze, he allowed it to travel to the long, blonde braid that hung past her right shoulder, following the bright golden trail all the way up to the fringe that covered her face. As usual, her mouth was tugged upwards into a haughty smirk as she stared expectantly at him, failing to notice the way Roy’s eyes glazed over slightly as he lingered on her pink mouth.

He wouldn’t even bother denying it.

He had known from the very first time he met her that Edeline Elric, even at 12 years old, would undoubtedly grow up to be a very attractive woman. He had pushed the thought away at the time, horrified that he was acting like a perverted old man staring at his very young, very _minor_ subordinate. But then, puberty had struck, beginning to gift Edeline with all of the beautiful goddamn luscious curves that the female anatomy had to offer and all too soon, Roy had again found himself having to deal with very inappropriate thoughts about his beautiful, highly volatile,16-year-old subordinate.

He had been her Commanding Officer for four years now, and they had kept an unconventional, somewhat parental relationship with each other since then. Despite her blatant jibes at his rank and her deliberate refusal to respect any proper form of superior-subordinate decorum during their meetings, Roy knew that Edeline respected him. He also knew that Edeline had grown up without her father, and because of that, she had considered Roy somewhat like a father-figure in her life, especially after Maes had died.

He didn’t mind that really, and it suited their relationship perfectly.

And he played his part as both her Commanding Officer and father-figure as well as he could, guiding her and mentoring her whenever she hit dead-ends in her research or military assignments. Though he had to admit, he _was_ a bit harder and stricter with her than he was with the other members of his team, often pushing her to her limits to the point of exhaustion, but that was only because Roy could see just how much she was capable of and so he expected a lot more from her.

He was proud to say that she had exceeded his expectations with flying colors. No longer was she the foul-mouthed, bad-tempered, disrespectful little kid that he remembered and it had caught him completely off guard.

When she had stood before him in the underground of that research facility, shouting furiously at Roy to keep himself together when he had wanted nothing more than to burn the remaining part of Envy’s existence into charred crisp, he realized exactly how much his youngest subordinate and mentee had truly changed over the years.

She was still occasionally foul-mouthed and bad-tempered and _definitely_ disrespectful – especially towards him – he supposed, but as Roy glanced at her now and studied her features carefully, he grudgingly admitted to himself how unusually _proud_ he was of her. Edeline had already accomplished so much in her life for being only 16-years-old.

And to be completely honest, as 15 years her senior, it made Roy feel a little bit inadequate. 

Sure, he _was_ the youngest soldier ever to have achieved the rank of _Colonel (_ when he was only 26 years old) but then again, Edeline had become a State Alchemist when she was _12_ years old. If she decided to pursue a serious career in the military like Roy did, who knows what else she could accomplish by the time she reached his age? 

“What’s up, Colonel Bastard?”

Roy’s eyes twitched in annoyance as she broke him out of her thoughts, bringing his attention back to face. He glared at her deliberate insubordination, but he wasn’t sure if it was because of that asinine nickname she had taken to calling him ever since she had joined the military or the way her thick black boots were smudging his pristine desk with dirt and mud.

“Fullmetal.” Roy gritted his teeth as he shoved her feet off his desk. “I know it takes a lot of effort for you to exercise any semblance of manners but _please_ keep your disgusting boots off my desk before I incinerate your remaining leg off.” He growled.

“Heh, like you would _really_ hurt an innocent civilian. A _child,_ no less.” She retorted, the smug grin never leaving her face.

“You’re _not_ a normal civilian, Elric. And you are most certainly _not_ a child.” Roy drawled back flatly, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, I am. I can’t do alchemy anymore, remember?” Ed smirked back teasingly at him and reached into the pocket of her red jacket, pulling out a familiar silver watch.

“Unfortunately, I’m not here to pick a fight – though you know how much I’d _love_ to.” She paused to give him a saucy wink, causing Roy to sigh in exasperation again and clench his hands to prevent himself from snapping and incinerating the eyebrows off her pretty face. She seemed to pick up on his annoyance and her grin widened.

“Anyway, I just came by to give this back to you.” She began, failing to notice the way Roy’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “Al’s fully recovered by now so the hospital will be releasing him today. I’m going back with him to Resembool tomorrow.”

“To Resembool?“ Roy’s frown deepened and he could have sworn that the vein in his head was throbbing so much that Edeline _had_ to have noticed it. “Fullmetal, I don’t recall you submitting any official requests for a leave of absence—“

“That’s because I’m not taking a leave of absence.” The rest of Roy’s protests were cut off when Ed placed her silver alchemist watch on his desk, followed by a single sheet of paper. “As of today, I’m officially tendering my resignation as a State Alchemist. Here’s my watch, and my resignation letter. Signed and acknowledged by the new Fuhrer himself.”

Stunned into silence, Roy stared at her for a long moment, unable to comprehend her words. Slowly, he took the paper from her and read it over and over again. Once he had verified that it was, _in fact,_ a resignation letter, effectively immediately, his heart _stopped._  

Slowly, he raised his eyes to hers again, and before he could stop himself, the hurt, betrayal and anger he felt began to seep slowly into his face.

His fingers shook as they began crumpling the letter in his hand and onyx met gold for a long couple of seconds before Roy finally voiced the question lingering in his head.

“…You’re leaving?”

* * *

 

Edeline purposely avoided meeting Mustang’s unnerving stare, unable to stand seeing the look of slight hurt and disappointment in his dark eyes.

She supposed he _did_ have a right to react this way. It may have been unfair of her to tender her resignation to the Fuhrer before approaching her Commanding Officer first but she just couldn’t do it. 

If she had approached Mustang first, Edeline just _knew_ that she wouldn’t be able to go through with it. 

The bastard that he was, she was sure that he would have found some manipulative way to try and make her stay on his team anyway – never mind the fact that she was no longer qualified to remain as a State Alchemist in the military.

It didn’t help that he was looking at her with that hurt, kicked puppy look of his. Ed knew that Mustang wasn’t aware that he had such an expression, and she wouldn’t have even noticed it much herself had Hawkeye not told her about it and warned her not to let the expression sway her whenever he wanted to get out of something – usually paperwork. 

This time though, Ed kept feeling this nagging, guilty feeling in her chest that the hurt she saw in Mustang’s eyes was nothing but genuine and the fact that it didn’t seem like he was even _aware_ that he was showing how hurt he was by her resignation bothered her even more. He seemed genuinely distressed that she was leaving, and that surprised her.

After the Promised Day, the bastard must have known that this day was going to come, sooner or later. 

It had already been _three_ months now since that blasted _Homunculus_ had destroyed headquarters and about nearly half of Central itself and _still,_ Ed hasn’t gotten used to the fact yet that, technically, she couldn't do alchemy anymore. More than anything, it meant that she was no longer of any use to Mustang’s team so there was really no reason to stay. She _had_ still tried to transmute of course – several times, to be honest – but like Truth had said, her gate was gone and she no longer had any alchemic energy left in her body.

It was a small price to pay, she was certain, for Al being able to get his body back, and Ed would have paid it again a thousand times over just to make sure her little brother was okay. 

Of course, that didn’t mean that the loss of her gate didn’t still hurt.

She _was_ an alchemist by heart and by blood. Alchemy was in her very  _soul_ , and just the thought of living her life without it was absolutely devastating.

Fortunately, Ling had given her a few names of renowned alchemists in Xing from whom she could continue to learn from, and so Ed had agreed to stay in Xing for awhile after she helped Al settle back in Resembool. After all, if she could still continue researching about alchemy and learning as much as she could without actual transmutation, then she’d take whatever opportunities she could get.

“May I ask why?“

Mustang's quiet, disappointed voice suddenly broke her thoughts, causing Ed to look back up to meet his eyes in annoyance.

“What do you mean, _why?_ I’m no longer an alchemist, shit-head! I hardly think I can still stay on as a State Alchemist when I can't even  _do_ any alchemy.” Ed reminded him with a sullen, irritated look, leaning back again and crossing her arms impatiently over her chest. “Besides, my contract with you is over isn’t it? If you recall, we _did_ agree before that I would join the military for as long as I needed to research how to get back my brother’s body.” She reminded him in a petulant voice.

“Yes, that _was_ the arrangement.” Mustang agreed, gritting his teeth. From where she sat, Ed noticed how Mustang was obviously trying very hard to keep his temper under control at her blatantly foul mouth. “But I just thought that, given everything we’ve been through, and after the Promised Day, you would—“

Mustang cut himself midsentence and seemed to hesitate, sighing loudly as he leaned back against his seat and glared at her in frustration.

As he did this, Edeline took that opportunity to do what she liked doing since she had turned fifteen and discovered she had hormones.

She stared at him.

 _Everyone_ knew that Colonel Roy Mustang was handsome.

She knew that even before she joined the military but thankfully, since she had only been 12 at the time, she wasn’t affected by his looks as much as the rest of the female population. It was a very different story four years later, given all the fucking _hormones_ that adolescence deemed fit to blast into her. Now, Edeline had to consciously stop herself from staring at him all the damn time, especially whenever he was decked out in his full military attire and was staring impassively at her the way he was from across his desk.

That man’s gaze did _serious_ things to heat her system up inside in ways she had yet to understand, and she didn’t like it.

For a few minutes, Edeline stared back at him and met his eyes, suddenly calling to mind the painful memory of that time when she had been staring at those empty, blind gray eyes of his only a few weeks ago. When Mustang had admitted to her – rather guiltily, she might add – that he had taken up Dr. Marcoh’s offer to use the remaining philosopher’s stone to help him regain his eyesight, Edeline couldn’t really find it in herself to be angry with him.

He _had,_ after all, been forced through the gate without any fault of his own.

Unlike the rest of the sacrifices that Homunculus had chosen for the Promised Day, Mustang had been the only one who wasn’t actually guilty of performing human transmutation. It was never equivalent exchange in his case, and she couldn’t blame him for that. And as she gazed into Mustang’s eyes now, she had never been more thankful for Dr. Marcoh’s efforts.

“—I just thought that you’d still want to continue working with us.” Mustang began uncertainly, still looking at her resignation letter in his hand as though it was the vilest thing he had ever seen in his life. “I mean, I know you and I have never really seen eye to eye—“ His lips twitched slightly when Edeline had scoffed, not bothering to hide her agreement. 

“— _but_ I do think of you as an integral asset of my team and it would be a shame to let you go like that, Edeline.” If he noticed the way Ed looked taken back by his use of her first name, he said nothing. “Are you sure this is what you want? You really want to leave?”

Edeline paused at that, finally letting the smirk on her face slip away until she was just staring back uncertainly at him, unsure of what to say. When Mustang didn’t seem to be letting up and was obviously waiting for her final answer, she let out a sigh of defeat and began to nod slowly, trying not to notice how much she hated the crestfallen look on his handsome face.

“I'm sorry, Sir.”

* * *

 

The words stung more than they should have, and for the life of him, Roy couldn’t understand why exactly he was feeling so angry.

This was _Edeline Elric_ after all, the Fullmetal Alchemist. 

He _knew_ from the very beginning that the only reason he had managed to convince her to join the military in the first place was because she wanted to regain her brother’s body back – nothing more. Now that she’s already gone ahead and accomplished that seemingly impossible feat, along with the fact that she and Alphonse had just saved the entire Amestris from genocide, she deserved nothing less than to quit the military and live the rest of her life peacefully in Resembool. 

He really should be happy that she’d finally be able to do that. 

He really should be happy for her.

_So why the hell does it feel like she ripped my guts right out of my chest?_

“Very well, then.” Roy was careful to keep his expression blank as he forced himself to glance at her resignation letter again, lifting his pen and finally affixing his signature on the bottom of her resignation letter in acknowledgment. “If this is what you want, then I won’t stop you from leaving. You’re… _welcome_ back here anytime you want to come back, Fullmetal. I promise that.” 

When he lifted his gaze again to glance at her, he noticed that she was staring at him carefully, the haughty smirk on her face faltering and in its place was a small, sad smile.

“Thank you, Colonel.”

They continued to stare at each other for a few more minutes, suddenly very much aware that they had no idea how to end the conversation when they still had so much to say to each other, knowing that they wouldn’t be seeing other again for a very long time. When the silence became too unbearable for her, Edeline cleared her throat loudly and sat back up.

“So I uh…” Edeline paused, drawing his attention back to the awkward expression on her face. “…I guess, uhm…this is…goodbye then.” She laughed nervously and Roy watched as her bottom lip made its may between her teeth.

Instead of answering, he leaned against his seat again and gave the young blonde another long, impassive stare.

He wanted to ask her why she was doing this - why she felt the need to leave when Roy had already made it clear that he wanted her to stay.

He wanted to ask why she thought Roy wouldn’t be bothered by what she was doing now.

There were so many questions flitting through his head at that moment but he refused to let any of them slip from his mouth. 

“I suppose it is.” Roy could barely choke the words out, his throat suddenly too dry to speak.

“Right.” Edeline managed to force out an awkward laugh before she brushed her long blonde braid over her shoulder and jumped to her feet, her thick boots making a loud thumping sound that echoed against the walls of his office. “I ‘spose I should get going then. Al’s waiting for me back at the hospital. Ling and Mei are dropping this afternoon to say goodbye.”

“Please give them my regards.” Roy answered her automatically, his shock over her resignation not allowing him to pay any attention to what she was saying. He stood up as well and began walking her to the door. Just as she finished slipping her red jacket back on, however, Edeline surprised him when she suddenly stilled, her hand resting on the doorknob.

“…Hey, Colonel?”

Roy stilled at the uncharacteristically shaky tone of her voice.

“Yes, Fullmetal?”

She didn’t answer right away, and when he saw the strange, panicked look on her face, Roy was almost certain that she was going to bolt out his office but then, another split second later, he found himself with an armful of a very warm Edeline Elric as she suddenly launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and using the leverage to simultaneously pull him down and yank herself up so that she could press her lips firmly against his in a heated kiss.

_What--?_

It was as though time stood still for those few agonizing seconds and he was positively certain that his his brain was going _haywire_ as Edeline's hands wrapped tightly around his neck and frantically pulled him closer, drawing him deeper into the kiss as Roy stiffened and blinked rapidly, struggling to regain his senses. Before he realized what he was doing, his hands began to wrap around her waist out of their own accord and he bent further down to reach her height _,_ his lips intertwining cautiously with hers. 

And then, Roy _broke._

_Truth be damned._

He realized he was already kissing her back softly, savoring the sweet taste of her lips and not at all minding the fact that Edeline had obviously not had that much experience in kissing before – which, to his mind, made the moment all the more endearing, especially when he noticed the way she was trying to copy the movement of his lips against hers. When he bent down to kiss her deeper, however, and she let out a soft moan of surprise, Roy’s eyes finally snapped open in shocked realization and – just as fast as it had happened – the moment was over and he was pulling sharply away from her as though she had caught on fire.

“No, Edeline! Wha—what are you—we can’t do this!” He blurted out as he hurriedly backed away from her, his entire face burning in horror when he suddenly remembered that Riza was waiting for him just outside his office. Truth help him if she had seen him kissing Edeline a few seconds ago. Roy was positively _certain_ that she would lodge a bullet in his crotch.

Caught up in his panic, he ignored the guilty expression on Edeline’s face and situated himself behind his desk, using it as a barrier between them to prevent her from kissing him again.

“What was…Th—that was—Fullmetal, what were you—!“

“Oh relax, Bastard.” Edeline scoffed in amusement, rolling her eyes at his melodramatics. “I was just trying it out. I figured I might as well do it now since technically, I’m not your subordinate anymore. Probably won’t get the chance to again.”

Roy was still hyperventilating as he stared at her, his cheeks flushed almost as red as Edeline’s jacket.

“How long have you— “

“How long have I wanted to kiss you?” She finished the question for him, inadvertently causing Roy to flush again as he was hit by another inappropriate wave of _want –_ as though the very words leaving her sinful mouth had the same effect as her kissing him again. “For awhile now, I suppose. Ever since you saw me when I went to visit Lt. Colonel Hughes’ grave that day.” She answered with a half-shrug before crossing her arms over her chest, a contemplative look on her face.

“I could stop blaming myself for his death. You helped me realize that it wasn’t my fault. That is was neither of our faults, really. I guess I was attracted to you ever since.” She admitted, ducking her head sheepishly before looking up again and giving him a small, embarrassed smile.

Roy ran a shaky hand through his disheveled black hair and stared back at her in dismay.

“I—I was…I don’t know what to say—“

“Hey, it freaked me the fuck out too, you know. Liking you.” Ed added cheekily, folding her arms behind her head and lifting her chin as she stared up at the ceiling in thought. “I mean, you’re like what, _a hundred_ years older than I am? That’s _gross—_ “

“ _Fifteen_ years older, Ed.”

“Same diff.” She shrugged, smirking at the irritated look on his face. “You’re _ancient._ I think you’re old enough to be my father.”

Roy’s eye twitched at her words and he glared at her, giving her a sarcastic sneer.

“Gee, thanks. You sure know how to flatter a man.”

She grinned at that but went on as though she hadn’t heard him. “And at some point, you were even like my guardian or something. You gotta admit that’s kind of messed up. It’s like a Freudian nightmare.” She remarked and Roy's left eye twitched again as he sighed in annoyance.

“Ed—“ He growled.

“Sheesh relax, bastard. I just said I was attracted to you didn’t I? I’m trying to give you a compliment here.” She quipped.

In spite of himself, Roy couldn't helping stifling a laugh, his mouth twitching upwards into a smile at her deliberate callousness.

“You’re a sassy little brat, you know that?” He mused out loud, rewarding her with a fond smile.

Ed rolled her eyes and winked back at him, laughing when she saw the incredulous look on his face.

“Yeah, yeah I know. But I’m also the sassy little brat who just kissed you.”

Roy’s warm grin faded slowly at her words and he began to back away from her, shaking his head and giving her a sad smile. “The lieutenant and I…After the Promised Day, we agreed to give things a chance. It’s still new – well, _we’re_ still new but I…I care about Riza and I don’t want to do anything that might hurt her or ruin what we have right now—”

“I know.”

He paused at the earnest tone of her voice and looked up again, noting that the playful expression on Ed’s face had finally sobered and she smiled weakly at him, her golden eyes soft as she studied the lingering uncertainty on his face.

“I wasn’t really looking for anything when I kissed you, Colonel.” She shook her head again and laughed quietly, giving him a sincere smile this time when she saw the way Roy’s shoulders relaxed at her words. “And I _do_ think that you and Lt. Hawkeye look good together. I’m really happy that the two of you are finally trying things out.” She told him.

Roy said nothing at that, frowning slightly as he studied the rapidly flittering emotions on Edeline’s face.

“Like I said, it was a spur of the moment thing. I figured that…Since I was leaving tomorrow, I might as well do this now. I’ll probably never get the chance to kiss you again.” She chuckled and rewarded him with another one of her cheeky smiles.

_Then don’t leave._

Roy heard the unspoken thought echoing inside his head as he watched her turning around again and heading towards the door. Before he realized what he was doing, he had already stepped around his desk and his feet were hurriedly making their way across the room towards her again, but for what exactly, he wasn’t sure.

“Fullmetal—“

She halted her steps again, but this time, the words had rushed out of his mouth even before Edeline had turned back around to face him .

“—I’m… _sorry_.”

He winced at the way the two words sounded so lame and desperate to his ears but, to his relief, Edeline understood what he wanted to say perfectly and she smiled at him again. “It’s really alright, Colonel. You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Smirking, she turned around again to face him and leaned up, standing on her tiptoes so that she could place a light, lingering peck on his cheek. When Roy blinked and stared at her in question, she spoke softly into his ear. “Despite all the stupid shit that’s happened between us, all those shitty missions you sent me on, and all those times I know we pissed each other off, I just want you to know that…well—“ She paused and bit her lip in embarrassment, a hint of red beginning to stain her pale cheeks.

“—I think you’re an amazing person. I know that you’ll make a great leader one day. But until then...I'll be rooting for you."

Her words struck something inside him, causing Roy’s eyes to warm as he stared at her. He wanted to say more to prevent her from leaving – he wanted to walk up to her and _order_ her to stay but his feet remained rooted to the floor.

He did none of those things however but instead, he stood exactly where he was and watched as she began walking away.

Just as she exited the room and was about to close the doors shut, Roy somehow managed to find his voice. 

“Edeline.”

She paused and lifted her gaze back to stare at him, her blonde fringe hanging over her eyes and shielding her expression from his view. Roy swallowed again and he could only stare back at her in agonized silence for those last few moments before he finally lifted his hand, raising it above his eyebrow to give her a formal salute of farewell.

“Take care of yourself.”

Ed’s golden eyes gleamed warmly at the gesture and she grinned back at him, raising her hand and mirroring his salute.

“See you around, Colonel Bastard.”

She shot him one last, quirky smirk and wink before she swept out of his office, closing the door behind her and leaving Roy staring after the wooden frame in silence, wondering to god why there was such a dull, painful ache in his chest.


	2. Three Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hawkeye and Havoc set out to Resembool to retrieve a certain blonde alchemist.

“This must be the place.”

Ignoring the curious stares they were receiving from the civilians passing them along the street, Riza Hawkeye and Jean Havoc met each other’s questioning looks before they looked up at the sign of the small shop hanging in front of them. 

“Rockbell Automail, huh.” Jean read out loud, rolling the end of cigarette he had around his mouth. “Yeah, this is it. I remember that Boss always used to talk about a mechanic friend of hers named Winry Rockbell.” He mused out loud.

“Havoc.” Riza was trying very hard not to let her annoyance seep into her face as she narrowed her eyes and slanted a disapproving glare at her companion. “Hasn’t the General told you _thousands_ of times to _stop_ smoking those cigars? You realize that those things could end your life early, you know.” She deadpanned, clenching her fists when Jean just shrugged and smirked back at her. 

“Yeah, he might have mentioned it. But I figured – you know – since the Chief’s not here anyway.” He chuckled and, still ignoring the vein that was almost popping out of Riza’s forehead, he strode forward and casually pushed through the shop’s main doors.

They paused near the front of the shop, taking in its small, albeit homey, interior and the numerous, unfinished automail arms and legs that lay scattered practically all around the shop’s furniture. Frowning slightly, Riza strode forward towards the small counter and began ringing the small chiming device on the table to get the shop-owners’ attention.

“ _Is anybody home?_ ” Riza called out uncertainly as she glanced around again, searching for any signs that anybody was in the shop. After a few seconds, she heard a warm, familiar voice calling back out to her in reply.

“I’ll be right there!”

Riza and Jean turned around just in time to see a tall, blonde man hurriedly making his way towards the front of the shop. When he got closer however, and she and Jean finally recognized who he was, Riza’s cautious expression softened into a genuine, friendly smile.

“Alphonse.” She greeted the 18-year-old warmly, watching as the expression on Al’s face seemed to still for a moment in mild surprise before he suddenly grinned and came bounding towards them, throwing his arms around Riza in an exuberant hug.

“Hawkeye! Havoc!” He exclaimed cheerfully, laughing sheepishly when Jean smirked and reached down to give his blonde hair an affectionate ruffle in greeting. At the infectiousness of Al’s smile and laughter, Riza couldn’t help laughing as well as she hugged him back for a few seconds before she pulled back, settling her expression back into a cordial smile.

“It’s nice to see you too, Alphonse. I’m happy to see that you’re doing well.” Riza gave him another fond smile, noting how healthy the young man looked, especially when she thought about the last time she had seen him – malnourished and practically starved to death after Edeline had recovered his body from the other side of the gate.

“Thanks.” Al blushed at her acknowledgment and gave a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “ _Nee-chan_ and Winry kept bugging me to eat five times a day when we first got back.” He admitted.

“And good thing they did too, look at you! You grew taller! Would you look at that.” Jean teased as he rested a hand flat on the top of Al’s head, pretending to measure his height. “I only hope the Boss grew out as well, I can’t imagine she’d be happy you being taller than her now.” 

“Maybe you should see her for yourself.” Al’s golden eyes creased with laughter as he smiled back at them. “Anyway, what are you two doing here? Is Colonel Mustang with you?” He asked curiously.

“We’re here to speak to your sister, actually. Is she home?” Jean answered, glancing over Al’s shoulder.

“And it’s actually _Brigadier-General Mustang_ now, Al.” Riza told him, causing the young teen’s eyes to widen slightly in surprise. Riza chuckled and answered his unspoken question. “He was promoted just after you and Edeline left three years ago.”

“I see. That’s great! Please do give him my regards.” Al gave them another earnest smile. “Winry is just out of the house right now buying groceries but _Nee-chan_ should be out back as usual, fixing up some of the engines. I’ll bring you there.” He told them as he gestured them towards the door in the back that led to a small garage.

“Fixing up some… _engines?”_ Jean asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.

Hearing the question in his voice, Al chuckled and answered him with a grin. “ _Nee-chan_ insists on helping Win out in the shop from time to time but unfortunately, she’s nowhere _near_ as good a mechanic as Win is. So as a compromise, Win agreed that Ed could be in charge of helping customers with anything that’s _not_ automail related. Like fixing up automobile engines and motorcycles and stuff. She’s getting really good at it too.” He told them as he ushered them out back.

“I thought Edeline spent most of the last three years in Xing learning about Alkahestry?” Riza inquired.

Before he had sent her and Havoc to retrieve the Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy had ordered Riza to do a background check on what exactly Edeline had been doing for the last three years. As it turns out, they discovered that the 19-year-old alchemy prodigy had been invited by Emperor Ling to study alkahestry in Xing under several renowned masters. Riza knew that Ed had only just returned to Resembool fairly recently, so she was surprised that the young genius had somehow managed to find yet another hobby to occupy her mind with.

“Oh, she did. She just got back a few weeks ago but _Nee-chan_ ’s always been a fast learner. Winry taught her how to fix up the engines and she picked it up right away. She’s been holing herself up in the garage ever since.” Al finally stopped when they reached the garage and paused by the doors, turning back to him them another smile.

“Anyway, go on ahead. Let me just prepare some tea and refreshments, please head on back to the living room later on with Nee-chan for them.” He told them. Before Riza could say anything else or at least inform him that refreshments were unnecessary, Al had already turned and walked back into the house.

With a sigh, she ignored Havoc’s questioning look and pushed open the garage doors, blinking as she was suddenly bombarded with the mixed, overpowering scent of metal, oil, and gunpowder.

Wincing, she held her breath and glanced around, noting the various automobile parts that lay scattered along the floor before her attention was drawn by a loud, familiar _curse_ nearby. She turned toward it, staring at the sight of a pair of grease-smudged legs sticking out from underneath the bottom of a large automobile. Long, shiny blonde hair lay sprawled all over the floor beside the pair of legs. The strands of hair were also stained slightly with a bit of engine grease but otherwise still gleaming as brightly as Riza remembered three years ago. When she saw that one of the legs was, in fact, _automail_ from the knee down to the foot, she knew they had found her. 

There was no doubt about it – the person cursing and grumbling under the automobile was Edeline Elric.

The Fullmetal Alchemist who had quit their team three years ago.

“Edeline?”

No response.

“Hey! Boss!” Jean tried to get her attention this time but to no avail as the young blonde seemed to be more concerned with continuing to mutter under her breath and repeatedly tinkering with the engine.

Frowning, Riza crossed her arms over her chest and decided that she was done playing nice.

Plastering a knowing smirk on her face, she took a deep breath and let out a loud, angry shout that sounded suspiciously like the very same tone that Roy had once used to shout at Edeline many years ago when she had first joined his team.

_“MAJOR ELRIC!”_

Apparently, that seemed to do the trick.

The suddenness of Riza’s shout seemed to have startled the young girl under the car so much that she suddenly yelped and sat up with a loud, painful _‘ **THUNK’**_ **,** followed by a growl and a stream of interestingly creative expletives.

“What the flying _fuck—Oww!_ Who was—how—whoever the hell you are out there, you’d better run for your life!” Edeline growled.

Stifling an amused smirk behind her hand, Riza rolled her eyes and waited until Edeline Elric had finished grumbling about her head and slowly slid out from underneath the automobile. When she saw both Hawkeye and Havoc’s standing figures looming over her, however, she frowned and blinked blearily up at them in confusion. Very slowly, one of her hands moved to brush back her sweaty blonde hair away from her grease-smudged face while her other hand reached up to remove the thick goggles over her eyes.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye? Is that you?” She blurted out, her golden eyes growing as wide as saucers.

Riza didn’t bother correcting her as those same eyes drifted over Riza’s shoulder to stare at Jean behind her. “And 2nd Lieutenant Havoc.” The shock on Edeline’s face suddenly melted into a curious smirk. “What are you two doing in Resembool?”

Ed didn’t bother waiting for them to answer before she stood up, stretching her long legs out with a satisfied ‘hum’. Afterwards, she shook her hair carelessly out of her face and then raised two very slender arms up behind her, tying her thick blonde mass of hair up onto the top of her head in a ponytail that trailed all the way down until it dangled by her waist.

Jean was blushing and was openly gawking at her, and even Riza couldn’t help staring, marveling at how disturbingly attractive the young alchemist seemed to have become over the years.

The last time she had seen Edeline, the girl had only been _sixteen_ – barely an adult by any standards but gifted enough that puberty had already decided to generously grace her with enough curves for her to be seen as a petite young woman. Now, however, Riza noticed that Edeline had finally grown a few inches taller – not as tall as Riza but tall enough so that she probably wouldn’t deserve being called ‘ _shorty’_ anymore by the rest of the team.

She no longer kept her hair in a tight braid but left it loose, allowing the long blonde strands to flow freely against her waist. Her facial features seemed to have changed too, though what exactly was different, Riza couldn’t tell. All she knew was that the shape of her face seemed softer now, definitely more feminine, and the hard, jaded expression was finally gone from her eyes, replaced with a softer, mischievous sparkle.

As though reading their thoughts, Edeline smirked at their dumbfounded expressions and walked over to a nearby worktable, bending slightly to reach for a small white towel and using it wipe the engine grease from her hands. If she noticed the way Jean’s head titled slightly as she bent down, no doubt to catch a good glimpse of the 19-year-old’s bottom, Edeline paid it no attention. However, Riza certainly noticed the action and her fist clenched, the vein on her forehead beginning to throb. She glared warningly at Jean from the corner of her eye but he barely noticed, too busy enjoying himself by staring – no, more like _ogling_ – Edeline’s scantily clad form.

To be honest, Riza really couldn’t blame him.

Instead of the black leather pants she was usually seen wearing around Central HQ, Ed was wearing a very short pair of tight black shorts that clung snugly around her hips. Both her flesh and automail leg peeked out from outside a pair of heavy black boots, while a white, dirt-stained tank top hugged her torso, tight enough so that its hem ended about an inch above the white skin of her waist, and with a collar low enough to reveal a scandalous amount of cleavage. 

 _“Oy. Havoc._ ” Ed’s snickering voice broke their gaping stares at her and caused the said blonde man to stiffen and hastily flick his eyes back up to meet her eyes.

“Didn’t anybody ever tell you it’s rude to _stare,_ shit-head?!”

Edeline was still smirking as she stared at both Riza and Jean’s flabbergasted expressions in amusement, stifling another snicker when Jean had reddened at her words and hastily averted his eyes from her chest.

“Sorry, Boss! I uh—“ Ducking his head sheepishly behind his shoulder, he let out a nervous laugh and moved to stand behind Riza, wincing when she just grunted and shoved him away in annoyance. “—just a little moment of weakness, won’t happen again.” Jean gave her a wide, all-too-innocent grin and winked.

“Heh. Breda always _did_ say you were a boobs-man. I guess he was right.” Edeline drawled to herself as she made her way over to them, tossing the now dirtied white towel back to her worktable before she grabbed the water bottle beside it, poured some of it over her head and face for a few seconds to rinse off her sweat, and then took a long, satisfying swig.

As she did this, the water had dripped down to her tank top, drenching the white material even more and causing it to cling most _obscenely_ to her chest but Edeline didn’t seem to care. The loud, dreamy sigh of satisfaction she let out a few seconds later after she had finally quenched her thirst was _very_ suggestive _–_ almost _orgasmic,_ even, and casting a look at Jean’s uncomfortably red face beside her only confirmed Riza’s observation. After she had poured the rest of the water over her face again, Edeline finally tossed the now empty water bottle aside and turned around to face them.

“Sorry about that. You guys kinda caught me at a bad time, I’m all greasy.” She arched an eyebrow at the way Jean was purposely avoiding her gaze and turned her attention to Riza, giving the older woman a genuine smile this time. “Anyway, it’s great to see you two. What brings you here anyway? I _seriously_ doubt it’s only because you missed me.” She teased.

They watched as she brushed away the stray lock of hair that was falling into her eyes, leaning against the automobile behind her and crossing her arms over her chest. Unknown to Edeline – or, as Riza mused to herself, perhaps Edeline _did_ know but just didn’t care – crossing her arms had inadvertently pushed her breasts up a bit higher. Although she still wasn’t exactly sure why, Riza began to grit her teeth in anger at the way Jean’s eyes had dipped down again – not even discreetly – to ogle at Edeline’s chest.

“Well, while we _did_ miss you—” Riza began once she had managed to gain a semblance of control over her irrational anger at Jean’s pervertedness. “—unfortunately, we’re not here just to play catch up, Ed. We’re here on official military business, on behalf of the Brigadier General.” She admitted, watching as Edeline uncoiled her hair from its ponytail, letting the damp strands back down.

“Brigadier General?” She asked blandly.

“Mustang.” Jean answered her, rolling his eyes at Ed’s naiveté. “Geez, kid. Don’t you read the papers anymore? Roy was promoted to Brigadier General shortly after you left the team.” He explained.

“ _HEY!”_ At his words, the confusion on Ed’s face instantly flared into righteous anger and she snarled at him, her eyes flashing. “WHO ARE YOU CALLING A KID?! I’M NOT A KID! I’M NOT SHORT ANYMORE!” She raged at him. 

“Well I do have to agree with you there, Boss.” Jean’s grin widened and he looked positively smug as he leaned back and deliberately let his gaze roam up and down her figure. “You are _most definitely_ not a kid anymore.”

“Screw you.” Ed scoffed back easily at him, rolling her eyes.

“I would love to.”

“ _WHY YOU PERVERTED ASSHOLE—_ “

“ _Anyway._ ” Riza interrupted another round of Ed’s furious tirades as she deliberately placed herself between them and shoved them away from each other as far as humanely possible. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private, Ed?” She asked, glancing back towards the shop.

Her eyes still narrowed as she glared at Jean, Ed reluctantly met Riza’s gaze and nodded before she turned around and led them back towards the shop. Once they were back inside, they followed Ed into the living room where evidently, Al had already finished setting up the tea, along with a few biscuits, on the table.

“Make yourselves comfortable. Let me just take a shower and get changed really quick.” Ed told them, not bothering to wait for a response as she trudged up the stairs.

As soon as she was gone, Jean plopped himself down onto one of the couches with a sigh of exasperation. “Man, this _sucks._ ” He huffed pathetically before he glanced at Riza out of the corner of his eye. “I should be back home, getting some really hot lovin’ from my girlfriend right now, you know. It’s just like the General to send me out of town _this weekend._ It’s like he makes it his personal mission to ruin my love life.” He complained.

“I fail to see how your love life, or lack thereof, is any of my concern.” Riza didn’t even bother to glance back at him as she answered in a deadpan voice, her gaze impassive as she took a sip of her tea. “Besides, you’re better off without her. That woman is just using you as a rebound again.”

“Rebound for Mustang?” Jean snorted and shrugged, leaning back against his seat. “Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. But to be honest, that’s happened one too many times for me to care at this point.” He paused to consider her words before frowning and turning to glance at her again.

“Speaking of the General…Why didn’t he come with us today anyway? I remember that he was particularly adamant that he wanted to be the one to get the boss back into the team.” He asked curiously.

“He was called in by the Fuhrer for an emergency meeting this morning.” Riza didn’t miss a beat as she answered automatically, ignoring the way Jean’s eyebrows rose at her quick response. “He called me early this morning to tell me to go on ahead to Resembool without him. He’ll just meet and brief us when we get back to Central.” She explained.

“Wow…Emergency meeting, huh? No wonder he looked so pissed when we left.” Jean allowed one of his eyebrows to lower but cast the remaining arched one towards her, giving her a curious look. When, after a long moment, he did nothing but continue to stare at her, Riza finally snapped.

_“What?!”_

Jean jumped at her sharp reaction. “N—nothing, it’s nothing, really! It’s just that…Well—“ He let out a nervous laugh and backed off, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. “—I was just trying to figure out how you still manage to do it.” He began uncertainly, pausing when he saw the way Riza’s shoulders tensed at his words.

“ _Still_ do it?” She asked flatly.

“You and the General, I mean.” Jean hesitated again, looking uncomfortable. “If it were anybody else…If it were _me_ even, after breaking up like that, I…I don’t think I’d be able to just go back to the same professional relationship you two have. Or I don’t know, I _might_ be able to, but I doubt I’d be able to work as well for him as I used to.” He admitted.

Riza said nothing at that, choosing instead to lean against her seat and take another quiet sip of her tea.

“I’m not judging you or anything, alright? On the contrary…I think you’re _amazing,_ Riz. Despite the fact that you’re not with the General anymore, you’re still able to push past all that pettiness and still be there to protect and support him.” Jean gave her a small, wistful smile and reached out to give her an affectionate pat on the head.

“You’re truly something, Riz. I only wish I could end up with a woman like you.” He said softly.

In spite of herself, Riza couldn’t stop the heated blush from forming in her cheeks at Jean’s words. Jean had always been the only one to ever call her ‘Riz’, and she realized that she had grown particularly fond of the nickname.

As she thought about Jean’s words, she immediately recalled her phone conversation with the General just that morning before they had left for Resembool.

After explaining to her that he wouldn’t be able to make the trip with them and giving her further instructions on what to do after – assuming they were able to convince Fullmetal to return – Roy had suddenly fallen silent, and it wasn’t until she asked if he was still on the line a few awkward minutes later that he answered.

' _Hey…Riza?’_

_‘What is it, Sir?’_

_‘…Do you hate me now?’_

_‘Why would you think that?’_

_‘…I don’t know. I guess…after everything that’s happened between us, I…wouldn’t blame you if you did.’_

_‘…’_

_‘Riza?’_

_‘It’s been almost 2 years since we broke up, Roy. Why are you bringing that up now?’_

_‘…I ran into my sister the other day. She asked me how you were. I didn’t know what to say.’_

_'_ _I don’t hate you, Sir. And I meant what I said. I made a promise to you years ago that I would protect you and remain at your side. That hasn’t changed. I will, and will always, have your back.’_

_‘…Riza…?’_

_‘Sir?’_

_‘…I’m sorry I hurt you.’_

_‘…I’m sorry too.’_

It was, without a doubt, the most difficult conversation that Riza had ever had in her life.

She would be lying if she said that the fact that she and Roy had ended their relationship before it even began didn’t hurt.

It _did_ hurt _,_ very much.

And if she were to be completely honest with herself, Riza knew from the very beginning that their relationship was just a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. She couldn’t blame Roy though. It was neither of their faults, really. After barely six months of being together, going out on a few dates after office hours and dodging the occasional whispers and rumors about them in the office, everything had just… _blown_ over.

Both of their lives, their jobs, their busy schedules, and even Roy’s single-minded ambition of becoming the Fuhrer had _all_ gotten in the way and it suddenly became all too easy to blame it on each other.

She didn’t really know much about love and dating, she couldn’t deny that. She was a soldier, after all. But she _did_ know that it shouldn’t _have_ to be this difficult to be able to make time for each other outside of work.

Not if they really wanted to, anyway.

All the stupid, senseless fighting became more and more frequent, their dates became less and less, until Roy finally began to stop coming to visit her apartment. When even their professional duties began to suffer from their strained relationship, Riza finally realized that it just wasn’t going to work out between them.

Roy didn’t take it against her. In fact, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he had been thinking about it the same way she had at the time. They were quite similar in their way of thinking after all – it was the reason they were such close friends.

_And close friends is probably the best we could ever hope for._

It wasn’t even their failed, short-lived relationship that bothered her anymore.

It was the fact that their ending things with each other had put such a strain on their working relationship.

While it may not have been obvious to Jean, Breda or the rest of their team, the awkwardness and hesitation between her and Roy was there, and she found that she had to maneuver her way around it everyday in the office. How Roy would always hesitate whenever he was on the phone with a date and Riza would suddenly walk into his office to hand him that afternoon’s paperwork. How he would always frown when he saw her working over time and staying up late with him, telling her to go home or spend the night with a date or maybe her friends.

It was as though he was guilty that _he_ was the reason Riza was staying so late, and _that_ couldn’t have been further from the truth.

The reason Riza always stood beside him was the same as it had always been. She had promised him _years_ ago that she had his back. And that certainly wasn’t about to change just because she was now his ex-girlfriend.

“I’m back!”

Riza was startled out of her thoughts when a freshly-showered Edeline came bounding back down the stairs, followed closely by Al. As the two blondes settled themselves down onto the seats opposite theirs, Riza noted that Ed finally changed out of her drenched clothes and was now wearing something more familiar to them – her trademark leather pants and black tank underneath a red, hooded cardigan jacket.

“Are you okay, Lieutenant?” Al was frowning in concern as he eyed the distant expression on Riza’s face.

“She’s actually a _Major_ now, Alphonse. And while we’re at it, so am I.” Jean told him, grinning slightly.

“Oh that’s great news. Congratulations to the both of you.” Al’s eyes widened at his words and he smiled warmly at them, his loud exclamation finally easing the awkward silence.

Hastily clearing her throat and shaking her head to rid herself of her lingering thoughts, Riza managed to give the young blonde a small smile. She ignored the strange look that Jean was giving her and turned to Ed again, meeting the alchemist’s expectant golden eyes with a resolute look.

“Fullmetal.”

When Ed blinked at her, arching an eyebrow in question, Riza decided not to waste any more time.

“We’ve been ordered to draft you back into the Military.” 

* * *

Edeline couldn’t help it.

She _laughed._

“ _Hahaha!_ Th—that’s… _hahaha…shit,_ that’s really funny, Major.” Ed’s shoulders shook as she fell back into her seat and laughed again, clutching her stomach. “For a second there, I almost believed you were serious.”

She was still chuckling as she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at them again. That was when she noticed for the first time that neither Havoc nor Hawkeye were laughing. In fact, even Al, who was sitting beside her, had stiffened at the serious look at Hawkeye’s face and he was eyeing the sniper in suspicion.

“Has something urgent happened, Major? What brought this on?” Al asked in a carefully controlled, polite tone of voice. He folded his hands on his lap and alternated his gaze back and forth between Hawkeye and Havoc. “I’ve read from the newspapers that there have been a lot of strange alchemy-related murders and incidents within the military but none of them were confirmed. Are any of them true?” He inquired.

“It’s…a _long_ story.” Havoc began uncertainly, wincing when Hawkeye instantly pierced him with a fierce glare, no doubt as some sort of warning to be careful with what he said. “But yes, our coming here may be related to those murders. The Chief really _did_ send us to bring Ed back. He needs her help with something.” He gave both Elric siblings a small grin.

“No.”

Both Hawkeye and Havoc blinked in disbelief at Ed’s blunt answer while Al winced, shaking his head in dismay.

“What does that mean?” Havoc’s left eye twitched and he glared at her, clenching his hands into fists.

“It means you should piss the _fuck_ off _._ ” Edeline retorted with a scoff, rolling her eyes as she sneered at him. Then, as though to add even more salt to their wounds, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back pretentiously against her seat, propping her legs up on the table so that her boots made a loud thudding sound. “There is no way in _hell_ that I am going back to being a bitch of the military so you can just forget it—”

“ _Nee-chan—“_ Al tried to interrupt her tirade but Ed obviously wasn’t listening.

“—I’ve already spent four years of my life serving those stuck-up, selfish assholes—“

“Let me make this perfectly clear, Fullmetal.”

Ed suddenly froze at the sound of Hawkeye’s low, ominous voice and paled as she looked up, staring nervously at the blonde sniper in dread, and not at all liking the way the older blonde looked as though she was ready to haul Ed’s ass out of Resembool if needed to carry out Mustang’s orders and bring her back to Central.

“—we _promised_ the General that we would be bringing you back with us to Central one way or another – whether you’re willing or not. Now, you can make everything easier and just go with us, or I can knock you out and _drag_ you back by your hair. It’s your choice.” Noticing the way Hawkeye’s hand was hovering dangerously over the gun that was hidden in her holster, Ed swallowed loudly and managed a nervous laugh.

“It sounds like I don’t have much of a choice there now, do I?” She kidded weakly.

“You both _still_ remember that _nee-chan_ can’t do alchemy anymore, right? Assuming she agrees to go back with you to re-join the General’s team, how will she even re-qualify as a State Alchemist?” Al pointed out, drawing Hawkeye’s attention away from Ed’s nervously fidgeting form.

“The General just needs her help with some alchemy research she conducted for the military three years ago. We think it may be related to the murders. She doesn’t need to re-qualify as a State Alchemist.” Havoc explained.

“Refresh my memory, what’s the research about again? And why exactly am I being called in to help?” Ed asked.

“That’s classified information, Boss.” Havoc gave her an apologetic look. “I can’t tell you any more than that unless you agree to come with us. Besides, I think the General wants to be the one to brief you once you get back.”

“I don’t believe this.” Ed growled irritably under her breath, her face twisting into a scowl. “The nerve of that bastard, thinking he can just up and order me to go back to the military just like that. Why can’t he hire some other alchemist to do it?”

“Because it was _your_ research. You’re the only one who’s able to understand it.” Hawkeye deadpanned, causing Ed’s scowl to deepen as she cursed and grumbled under her breath again.

“Well, don’t I feel special.” She scoffed and gave them a pointed look “If this was really that important to him, why didn’t Colonel Bastard come with you and ask me himself like he did last time?”

“It’s _Brigadier General Mustang_ now, Ed.” Hawkeye corrected her with an exasperated sigh. “And to answer your question – _yes,_ he did want to come with us but unfortunately, he was called to a meeting with the Fuhrer at the last minute.”

Ed grumbled under her breath, still scowling and glaring heatedly at the carpeted floor as though everything was its fault. “This is _ridiculous!_ I am _not_ coming back with you. I. am. _retired._ Why does it have to be me?! _”_

“Because you’re the only one we can _trust_.”

As soon as the words had left Hawkeye’s mouth, the rest of Ed’s expletive-littered tirade about why exactly she had no intention of going back to the military instantly died out and she sighed in defeat.

Knowing that they had her, Hawkeye shared a triumphant look with Havoc before she turned to Ed again, studying the young woman’s expression closely. “You talk as if the time you spent with us in the military was so terrible. Don’t pretend that you didn’t enjoy working with us too, Ed. You were as much a part of the team as the rest of us.” She continued, causing Ed to stiffen and hastily look away. _“_ You’re the only other alchemist that _Roy_ trusts. It _has_ to be you.”

Ed didn’t answer.

Instead, the 19-year-old alchemist cursed under her breath and looked up, bypassing Hawkeye’s gaze and meeting her brother’s identical golden eyes in silent query.

A long couple of minutes passed between the two Elric siblings as they read off each other’s expressions, a multitude of ideas and thoughts passing wordlessly between them as though they had their own secret, unspoken language. Then, after what seemed like an hour to Hawkeye, Ed finally rolled her eyes in exasperation but nodded and turned back to give Hawkeye a sullen look of defeat.

Just as she had opened her mouth to speak, however, a loud _BANG_ from the shop’s entrance doors behind them suddenly caused everyone in the room to jump out of their seats. Startled, Ed only had just about enough time to sputter in indignation before a tall, long-haired blonde holding a long sword and wearing a pristine, navy blue military uniform suddenly strode into their living room, causing everyone to stare up at her in stunned dismay.

It took Edeline a few seconds to recognize who it was but when she did, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks and her jaw fell to the floor.

“Major General Armstrong?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Positive reception for this story so far, I'm so happy! Oh and yeah, if you were wondering about Edeline's little 'Megan Fox' moment there, yeah. I really did write the scene out that way (giggle). For some reason, in my head, I'm imagining a female counterpart of Ed to be very self-confident and very comfortable with her sexuality. You'll see what I mean in the later chapters.
> 
> Oh and a fair bit of warning, I just love Olivier Armstrong. So you'll see a lot of her in this story. ;)


	3. A Hard Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Olivier Armstrong is the boss; and Riza and Alphonse share a moment.

“Major General Armstrong?!”

A pair of cold blue eyes, partially covered by a thick lock of sleek blonde hair framing an aristocratic, elegantly beautiful face, glinted sharply as they settled on Al and Edeline’s gobsmacked expressions. 

For a minute, none of the occupants in the room seemed to remember how to use their voice and continued to stare as Olivier Mira Armstrong, the _only_ female General in the Amestris military, let out a derisive scoff and strode briskly into the room. A petite, Xingese woman, also in the Amestris military uniform, with her black hair pulled up into a neat, tight bun, walked into the room after her. Judging from the clipboard in the Xingese woman’s arms, Ed could only assume that she had to be Olivier’s personal assistant, and her suspicions were confirmed when the Xingese woman looked up and leveled her stern glare at Havoc and Hawkeye.

“An officer is approaching! Show some respect!” She barked loudly, and almost instantly, both Hawkeye and Havoc snapped to their senses and they stood up, immediately giving the General a formal salute.

“Lieutenant General Armstrong!”

“At ease.” Olivier greeted tersely, the stern expression on her face never changing as she reached them.

When she saw the way Ed and Al were gaping back and forth between her and her unfamiliar companion, she arched a slim eyebrow and gestured carelessly over her shoulder at the other woman. “This is Major Jiang Lee _,_ my personal assistant. Don’t let her petite demeanor fool you.” Olivier told them, smirking. “She’s a combat specialist highly trained in both Amestrian and Xingese martial arts. Major Lee, I’m sure you’re familiar with Edeline and Alphonse Elric. Edeline is the Fullmetal Alchemist.”

“Nice to meet you.” Al greeted the Xingese woman with a nervous smile.

“Er, yeah. Same.” Ed grunted when Al had nudged her sharply in the ribs.

Major Lee answered them with a brief nod before narrowing her eyes and giving the two siblings a sharp look.

“While I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, I am also obliged to correct you. Please address my Commanding Officer by her proper title next time as _Lieutenant General_.” She told them sternly.

Olivier ignored the way Ed gaped at her in shock and sat down onto the couch, shoving Havoc aside and taking his seat across from Edeline. Major Lee stood completely still behind her, clipboard and pen ready in her hand.

“Now that introductions are over, I’ll get straight to why I’m here, Fullmetal. I have here with me—“

Pausing, Olivier glanced at Lee from the corner of her eye and held out a perfectly manicured hand hand, waiting until she was handed a long, brown folder before she turned to Ed again and laid the folder down carefully on the table in front of them.

“—a special decree signed by Fuhrer Grumman, with specific instructions detailing my reassignment back to Central Headquarters. I’ve been assigned as head of Military Affairs and Regulation.” She deadpanned.

Hawkeye, who Ed had noticed looked particularly annoyed at Olivier’s untimely interruption, opened her mouth to protest but at the icy blue glare that Olivier shot her, the sniper instantly snapped her mouth shut and shrank back in her seat. In spite of herself, Ed couldn’t help hiding a smirk. She should have known that if there was _any_ officer that Riza Hawkeye was actually terrified of, it _had_ to be Lieutenant General Olivier Mira Armstrong, the _Ice_ Queen of Briggs.

“That’s…er… _great,_ General.” Al answered politely, though he still looked completely confused.

“Lieutenant Colonel Miles, my second-in-command, will remain in Briggs to oversee our northern defenses. As it isn’t easy to train new soldiers for an assignment in Briggs, most of my men will be staying there as well.” Olivier continued coolly, leaning back against the couch and ignoring the way Havoc and Hawkeye were exchanging uneasy frowns behind her.

“Yeah… _so?”_ Ed asked bluntly, her face beginning to crease into a scowl of annoyance. “I don’t see why any of that has got anythin’ to do with me or why you’re here, Lieutenant General.” She pointed out.

“It _means,_ Fullmetal—“ Olivier’s eyes narrowed at Edeline’s rude remark but she cast a quelling glare at Major Lee when it looked as though the Xingese woman was ready to slice Ed’s head off for her blatant insubordination. “—that I now find myself needing _new_ subordinates for my new team in Central. _Competent_ subordinates. People I can _trust._ ” She drawled.

“I see.” Ed blinked at her, shifting uneasily in her seat.

“The Fuhrer has already given me the prerogative of choosing who I want under me, and I have already handpicked every single one.” Olivier continued.

Al noticed the way Hawkeye and Havoc were beginning to stiffen with realization at Olivier’s words.

“I’ve selected _five_ highly qualified officers, all of whom are to be reporting directly to me. Major Lee is one of them, as well as three men who I personally chose to bring with me from Briggs.”

“Lieutenant General, I have to interrupt—“ Hawkeye tried to speak up again but this time, Major Lee was the one who glared at her, silencing the blonde sniper with a single raise of her hand. Eyes blazing with indignation, Hawkeye’s jaw dropped open when Olivier pointedly ignored her and continued as though she hadn’t spoken.

“I have only _one_ slot left, which the Fuhrer _insists_ that I use to recruit myself a new _State Alchemist._ ” Olivier finally turned to level Edeline with her sharp, piercing gaze. When the younger blonde stiffened in her seat and scowled back stubbornly at her, Olivier’s full, pink lips began to curl upwards into a small, amused smirk.

“Fullmetal, do you _really_ not see where I’m going with this?” She drawled.

“Of _course_ I do! You have got to be shittin’ me!” Ed blurted out as she suddenly shot out of her seat, golden eyes flashing dangerously as she groaned and alternated her glare back and forth between Olivier and Hawkeye.

“Do _either_ of you even realize that I am _not_ an Alchemist anymore? What if I told you that I don’t _want_ to go back to the military?”

“ _Nee-chan.”_ Al, obviously the calmer and more levelheaded of the two siblings, stood up after his sister and reached out, placing a hand over her shoulder to calm her down. “I know this is all unexpected but I think you should calm down. Let’s listen to them so that we can consider your options carefully.” He told her.

“My options? That should be fucking obvious, shouldn’t it?” Ed scoffed but allowed him to drag her back into her seat. “From everything I’ve just been told, they’re giving me two. I can either re-join Mustang’s team, which is why _they’re_ here—“ She cast a pointed look at Hawkeye. “—or I work under the Lieutenant General. ” She finished, flicking her gaze cautiously over at Olivier. “Either way, they’re trying to draft me back into the military.”

“It would appear so.” At Ed’s words, Olivier shared a look with Major Lee before she cast her bored gaze at Hawkeye in acknowledgment. “Though I should have anticipated that Mustang would try to recruit you given everything that’s been happening.” She remarked.

Ed’s eyes immediately narrowed at the Lieutenant General’s words.

“Given everything that’s been _happening?_ ” Her anger dissipated slightly as she sat back down, crossing her automail leg over her normal one and leaning back against the couch.

Reading his sister’s thoughts, Al cast Olivier a wary look.

“What do you mean, Lieutenant General?” 

* * *

Hearing Alphonse’s question, Olivier stared intently at the two Elric siblings in front of her – particularly Edeline. 

Ed was gritting her teeth in growing impatience but surprisingly, she was able to meet Olivier’s gaze, much to the latter’s reluctant amusement. As far as Olivier knew, there were only _two_ people in the military whom she knew could withstand the force of her stare – the first was her second-in-command, Lieutenant Colonel Miles, and while the second was her personal assistant, Major Jiang Lee. The fact that this 19 year-old girl was able to look Olivier directly in the eye without falter said a lot about Ed’s self-confidence.

And as much as Olivier didn’t want to admit it, she was impressed. 

Resisting another urge to smirk at the blonde alchemist, Olivier swept back a stray lock of hair from where it was partially covering her left eye and shifted her attention to Alphonse.

“The answer to your question, Alphonse, is precisely why I’m here.” She drawled, glancing over her shoulder at Lee again and waiting until her assistant placed another folder into her outstretched hand.

“Now, first things first.” Olivier stilled and looked up, slanting her blue eyes slowly until she was glaring at Havoc and Hawkeye’s tense forms beside her. “Major Hawkeye. Major Havoc.” Her full, pink lips curled into an amused smirk. “This is a confidential matter that’s to be kept strictly within my jurisdiction. I don’t need any of Mustang’s men listening to this, so if you could excuse us, Majors, I’d like to have a word with the Elric siblings in private.”

“Lieutenant General, respectfully, I must protest _.“_ Hawkeye’s left eye twitched and she began to protest as Lee turned to her, gesturing impatiently for her to get up from her seat. “Brigadier General Mustang also sent us here with specific instructions concerning the Fullmetal Alchemist. And if I’m following your conversation correctly—“ 

“We got here _first!”_ Havoc blurted out in a shrill voice as Lee yanked him out of his seat and began shoving him towards the door. “Wow, for a small woman, you’re pretty strong—hey! You can’t just kick us out! The Chief will have our heads if we don’t bring the Boss back to Central with us—"

“Excuse us.” Lee cut him off abruptly, ignoring his protests as she pushed him out of the room.

When he tried to run back in, Lee shoved Hawkeye out of the living room toward him, causing Havoc to curse as he and Hawkeye collided painfully against each other. Before either of them could say anything else, Lee slammed the door shut, leaving only herself, Olivier, and the Elric siblings in the room. Flashing a self-satisfied smirk with her Commanding Officer, she nodded and then, still facing Olivier, positioned herself in front of the door to prevent Hawkeye and Havoc from running back in.

“Now then…Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” Olivier deadpanned as she turned back to sifting through the folder in her hands, completely oblivious to the nervous sweat drops on Edeline and Al’s faces. “You should know that aside from being the new head of Military Affairs, the Fuhrer has also tasked me with the important job of investigating the recent series of disappearances that took place in the last few weeks. The missing persons were all high-ranking military officers.” She explained.

“How is that relevant as to why you and General Mustang want my sister to re-enlist?” Al asked, nonplussed.

Olivier cast a quick glance at him, amused at his impressive deduction skills, but she continued anyway.

“None of the victims’ bodies were found. Now, the only reason we’ve been able to confirm that they’ve been murdered and not simply missing is because—“ Olivier lowered her voice and glanced warily at the doors again, as though to ascertain for herself that neither Hawkeye nor Havoc could hear her. “—last week, the Fuhrer received something in the mail.”

“Which was?” Ed prompted, her eyebrows fused together in question.

“— _ashes._ The murderer sent us the burnt ashes of all _three_ of the victims’ bodies.” Olivier answered flatly, causing both Elric siblings to pale in realization. “More importantly, when I requested Dr. Marcoh to analyze the contents of the ashes, do you know what we found?”

Olivier didn’t bother waiting for them to answer before she continued.

“Lingering remnants of _flame alchemy._ ” She intoned bluntly, instantly causing all of the blood to drain from Edeline’s face. “There were traces of it in all of the ashes that were sent to the Fuhrer.”

“Th—that’s _bullshit!”_ Ed suddenly exploded, her eyes blazing with anger. “There’s no fucking way it was Mustang! He would never do such a thing!”

“I think _nee-chan_ ’s right.” Al added weakly as he glanced back and forth between Olivier and Ed with a stricken look on his face. “We’ve known the General for _years,_ he’d never kill anyone. Someone must be setting him up. It’s the only logical explanation.”

“As far as all official records go, after Berthold Hawkeye died, Roy Mustang became the _only_ living Flame Alchemist in Amestris. Maybe even the only remaining Flame Alchemist in _existence._ ” Olivier drawled, leveling them with a pointed look. “So unfortunately, as the case currently stands, he is my only suspect.”

“Who else knows about this?” Ed asked sharply.

“Why do you think I kicked out Hawkeye and Havoc?” Olivier’s lips twisted into a slight smirk. “The records of our investigation are highly confidential, so no one other than the Fuhrer and myself knows that Mustang is my prime suspect. But that is precisely why I need _your_ help, Fullmetal.” She gave her a sharp, pointed look. “I need a brilliant, _trustworthy_ alchemist who can look deeper into this matter and find me other leads.”

“Aren’t you and General Mustang rivals for the position of Fuhrer?” Al asked rather bluntly, giving her a suspicious look. “Why are you even helping him?” He pointed out.

“I’m _not._ ” Olivier answered flatly as she blinked and answered him with an impassive, albeit slightly affronted look. “I’m just making sure that I do a good job and cover all possible leads. It’s what any good leader and future Fuhrer would do.” She scoffed arrogantly.

Ed arched an eyebrow at that and shared a knowing look with Al, who rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure it is.” Reading his sister’s thoughts, Al gave Olivier an amused look. “Could it be possible, Lieutenant General, that the reason you want _nee-chan’s_ help in all this is because you also think that Brigadier General Mustang is innocent?”

“Mustang happens to be my number one rival for Fuhrer.” Olivier gave them both a look that suggested that she was _extremely_ offended before she sneered and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “So believe it or not, as much as I absolutely _detest_ his guts, I do think rather highly of him.” She retorted, scoffing derisively. “I know the man’s an incompetent, emotional idiot, but I also know that he would never be as stupid or as sloppy as to purposely incriminate himself like this. Which is exactly why I’m bringing _you_ in, Fullmetal. You can help me clear your old mentor’s name.”

With that, Olivier finally turned back to Ed and leveled her with a firm, steady gaze.

“Will you come back with me as my State Alchemist?”

* * *

 

Ed stared at the female General in stunned dismay for a few seconds, a million scenarios running through her head as her mind tried to process all of the information she had just taken in. Beside her, Al was frowning at her with a clear warning look in his eyes, and for the life of her, Ed knew exactly what her brother was thinking. 

_This can’t just be a coincidence._

“I _would_ help…but I’m not an alchemist anymore, Lieutenant General.” Ed spoke cautiously, careful to avoid meeting Olivier’s sharp gaze as she swallowed and fixed her gaze at a spot on the table in front of her. “After the Promised Day…To get back Al’s body from the other side, I had to give up my gate. I can’t do alchemy anymore. You know that.” She reminded her quietly.

To Edeline’s confusion, instead of answering, Olivier flicked her blue eyes to Lee again.

The Xingese woman seemed to straighten and gave her Commanding Officer a questioning look. When Olivier’s eyes narrowed and she nodded, Lee moved to stand in directly in front of Ed and raised her hand directly above the top of the blonde alchemist’s head.

“Hey! What are you—“ Ed scowled and moved to stand up but Lee just shoved her back down into her seat.

“Fullmetal, I believe there’s something I forgot to tell you about my assistant, Major Lee.” Olivier began, watching as the tattooed aray on Lee’s palm began to glow a faint, golden color. “She studied alkahestry in Xing for a few years before she came to Amestris. Her specific field of concentration is alchemy of _spiritual energy_ and _life force._ It’s used mostly for medicinal purposes, but do you know what else she uses it for?” Olivier paused when both Elrics paled at her words.

“ _Alchemic_ energy.” Al whispered out loud in stunned realization, watching in awe as the array on Lee’s palm seemed to glow even brighter the closer she brought her hand down to Edeline’s head.

“Precisely.” Olivier answered, turning to give a sputtering Edeline a triumphant smirk.

“In other words, Fullmetal, my subordinate here can _detect_ alchemists. Think of her as an alchemist _radar_ if you will. And guess what?” Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the way Ed was fidgeting guiltily and seemed unable to meet her eyes. “For someone who claims that she can no longer do alchemy, Major Lee tells me that she’s been able to sense your alchemic energy ever since we entered this house.” She sneered.

“She’s _wrong!_ ” Ed suddenly blurted out, causing Olivier to stiffen in surprise at her sharp reaction. 

“My gate is gone, I can’t do alchemy anymore! I—it’s impossible, it’s just _not_ possible! There’s no fucking way that—“

“Nee-chan…” Al interrupted in a quiet voice, drawing Ed’s attention to the worried look on his face. “Weren’t you just telling me the other day how you’ve been feeling… _off_ …for a few weeks now? Like there was some kind of energy growing inside you?” He waited until he held her gaze long enough to see the same realization that was in his older sibling’s identical golden eyes. “Is it possible that your gate is starting to re-open?” He whispered.

“ _NO!”_

Al jumped at the sharpness of Ed’s tone and watched helplessly as she she shot up from her seat and began pacing the length of the room.

She hadn’t wanted to believe it at the time, but it had only been a few weeks ago since Ed had felt something that she never thought she would feel again since the Promised Day. It was the feeling of a sudden surge of raw power coursing through her veins. And having studied alchemy since she was 6 years old, Ed knew exactly what it was.

There was no mistaking it.

It was the return of her _gate._

Ed was terrified when she first realized it, and even Al didn’t want to believe her when she had first told him. She had tried to ignore the feeling as much as she could, stamping down that familiar, tempting urge to clap her hands, lay her palms flat on the ground and perform any kind of transmutation. She never gave in to that urge, however, especially since she was terrified of what it could mean.

If there was one basic rule that alchemists knew by heart, it was the rule of equivalent exchange.

Unless you had a philosopher’s stone, there was no such thing as a gratuitous transmutation. And Ed _really_ did not want to find out what she had, _without her knowledge,_ supposedly given up for her gate to return to her.

“Fuck this, it’s just _not_ possible!” Ed blurted out again, nearly hyperventilating as she stood in front of the couch and yanked furiously at her hair. “Yes, I’ve been feeling off for _weeks_ but there’s just no fucking way my gate’s been re-opened, because then that wouldn’t be equivalent exchange! And I didn’t give up anything, Al! I swear, I didn’t!” Ed rambled incoherently, more to herself than to anyone else in the room.

“Get a hold of yourself, Fullmetal.” Olivier’s sharp, authoritative voice broke through Ed’s incoherent monologue as the blonde General glanced at Lee again, signalling for the other woman to lower her glowing hand and return to her position by the door. After Al managed to yank Edeline back into her seat, Olivier leaned back against the couch and crossed one leg patiently over the other. “Now that we’ve established that you can, in fact, still do alchemy, will you consider joining my team and helping me?”

“No.” Ed growled loudly.

“And why is that?”

“Because it’s _wrong,_ damn it!” Edeline exclaimed furiously, shaking her head. “Like I just said, I gave up my gate _3 years ago_ in exchange for Al’s body! My gate should be gone! That’s the whole idea behind equivalent exchange!” She reasoned desperately. 

“And yet, Major Lee has just shown you that your gate is, in fact, _open._ ” Olivier pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest in growing impatience.

“No, you don’t understand! If my gate has re-opened, then that means that something is wrong! Something’s fucked up. The alchemic equation is _unbalanced!_ ” Ed declared in a shrill voice.

“Meaning?” Olivier arched a single eyebrow at her in boredom.

“It _means,_ General, that if I use alchemy again, _something_ is definitely going to come back and bite me in the ass!” Ed shouted angrily at her.

“Fullmetal, I am not an alchemist. I don’t understand you’re saying, nor do I have the time to have this argument with you.” Olivier retorted, flipping her long hair over her shoulder again and rolling her eyes at Ed’s screaming fit. “I was going to hold this discussion off until after you’ve agreed to go back with us but since you’re obviously making it hard for us to convince you, I might as well show you this now.” She reached into the folder in her hand and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

When Ed shakily sank back down onto her seat, Olivier handed it to her, waiting patiently until the younger woman finished reading its contents. As he read silently over his sister’s shoulder, Al’s eyes widened and he stared at Olivier in surprise.

“Lieutenant Colonel?” He blinked in awe, glancing at Ed’s confused frown.

“The fuck—?” Ed croaked out.

“If you agree to come back with me now and re-qualify as a State Alchemist, both Fuhrer Grumman and I have agreed to up your rank to Lieutenant Colonel.” Olivier explained, her lips twitching into a smug smile when she saw the way Ed’s eyes widened at her words. “You’ll be given your own office, as well as assigned an assistant of your own. As part of my team, I’ll not only be giving you full reigns over the investigation concerning Mustang but you’ll also be in charge of overseeing _all_ disciplinary cases concerning _all_ State Alchemists and presenting them accordingly to me at the first instance, and then to the Fuhrer.” She explained.

“Wow. That’s… _wow._ ” Al breathed out loud, blinking in astonishment.

Seeing his reaction, Olivier couldn’t help chuckling slightly and giving him an amused smile. “You’re very welcome to join my team too, Alphonse. I could always use another brilliant State Alchemist to—” She offered but even before she finished her sentence, Al was already shaking his head and giving her a sheepish smile.

“No offense General, but joining the military has never really been my calling. That was always more of nee-chan’s thing. Besides—“ Al laughed nervously and scratched at the back of his head. “Mei will be coming to visit in the next few months and she’ll _kill_ me if I enlist.” He shuddered at the thought.

“I see.” Olivier merely blinked, undaunted by the rejection. “Well, like I said, you’d be more than welcome to join us.”

“This is all a little… _overwhelming_.” Ed admitted weakly, drawing Olivier’s attention back to her as she stared at the sheet of paper in her hand. “General, I was just a Major when I left the military three years ago, and even then, I never handled anything like this. This sounds like a _lot_ of work and responsibility—”

“Something I think you’re ready to handle.” Olivier told her firmly, not even batting an eyelash.

“You’re a strong, intelligent young woman, Fullmetal. The youngest State Alchemist to ever enlist and the heroine of Amestris. Not to mention the only other woman to make it out of the Briggs alive. I see quite a bit of myself in you, actually.” She smirked slightly at that, no doubt recalling the time when she and Edeline first met. “Besides, you needn’t worry. _I’ll_ be the one mentoring you from now on. Not that idiot Mustang. You’ll be fine.” Olivier answered haughtily, waving her concern away. “Of course, again, to be clear, all of this is _still_ under the assumption that you _re-qualify_ as a State Alchemist, _obviously,_ because otherwise, how will you able to oversee the cases of other State Alchemists if you aren’t one.” She drawled.

“I’ve never held an actual _office function_ before as a Major. Fucking hell, I’ve never even had a _subordinate_ under me before! And besides, how do you expect me to re-qualify as a State Alchemist again? I haven’t performed any kind of transmutation in _years._ Frankly, I don’t even know if I _can_.” Ed admitted, glaring pointedly at her.

“You’re supposedly some kind of child prodigy, aren’t you? It says so in your record. All you need to do is pass the written examination.” Olivier answered easily.

“That won’t be a problem. Nee-chan is an alchemy _genius!_ She topped the written exam when she first took it.” Al declared proudly, wincing slightly when Ed growled at him in warning and kicked him in the shin.

“Then I’m sure you can pass one stupid little test.” Olivier cut Edeline off before she could say anything else and drawled out in a bored voice. “There’s no need for you to take the interview or practical exam. You _are_ the Fullmetal Alchemist after all, and the Fuhrer still remembers how you ‘saved Amestris three years ago’.” She scoffed and waved the concern away impatiently.

“That’s _great_.” Ed retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “But that still doesn’t adress the fact that I don’t _want_ to do any actual alchemy. Now if you can guarantee that I won’t have to, then maybe I’ll consider your offer—”

“Fullmetal, this is getting ridiculous—“

“No alchemy, General.”

“ _Fine.”_ Olivier finally let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “ _No_ alchemy, _unless_ the severity of the situation demands otherwise.” She offered impatiently.

“Ugh. _Damn_ it all.”

“Am I to take that as a yes?” Olivier inquired.

“I haven’t agreed to join yet.” Ed scowled at her but said nothing else as she leaned back against her seat and crossed her arms over her chest in thought. Beside her, Al nudged her sharply and she grunted in acknowledgment before he leaned to the side and whispered something into her ear so that Olivier couldn’t hear.

“Nee-chan, you _promised_ that you weren’t going to go back to the military.” He reminded her quietly, and in spite of herself, Edeline felt a little guilty when she heard the disappointed tone in her brother’s voice. “You remember how dangerous everything was back then, please don’t tell me you’re seriously considering re-enlistment. Winry’s going to kill you.”

“I know, Al. But…if what the General is saying is true and Mustang is their only suspect for all those disapearances, then I _have_ to go back and help him any way I can. I can’t just sit back and do nothing. We owe him that much.” Ed whispered back, her features creased into a worried frown.

“Well then, if that’s the case, if you’re going to go back to the military anyway, isn’t it better for you to join General Mustang’s team? Remember Hawkeye and Havoc are still outside, waiting to see if you’ll agree to come back with them. He _was_ the one who first recruited you as a State Alchemist, after all. He might be offended if you agree to work under General Armstrong.” Al reasoned.

“Ah _shit._ ” Ed cursed again and glanced briefly at Al in realization before she turned her gaze back to Olivier and gave the female General an apologetic look. “General, I’m sorry but I have to decline your offer. Major Hawkeye and Major Havoc were just telling me about how—“

“If you’re declining because you think you’d rather join Mustang’s team than mine, then I suggest you think about your decision more logically, Fullmetal.” Olivier cut her off sharply, looking decidedly bored again as she glanced down and inspected her nails. “Assuming this murderer exists – if he’s really out to frame Mustang, then I have no doubt that he will be constantly monitoring Mustang’s team. Joining my team instead will at least afford you some discretion in your investigation.” She pointed out.

“She’s right, Nee-chan.” Al agreed reluctantly, a contemplative look on his face. “If there is someone back in Central who wants to blame General Mustang for those murders, he’ll be watching him and his team very closely. You might be of more help to the General if you investigate this without his knowledge and outside of his team.”

“ _Ugh._ Damn it.” As the soundness of her brother’s logic withstood her mind’s relentless scrutiny, Ed slowly began to realize what she had to do next and she groaned, her shoulders slumping as she covered her face with her hands in misery. Watching her reaction, the bland expression on Olivier’s face finally lit up and almost immediately, a small, self-satisfied smirk began to form itself on her elegant, aristocratic features.

“Shall I have Major Lee draft up your re-enlistment papers then, _Lieutenant Colonel_?” She drawled.

Ed lifted her face from her hands and stared up at her new Commanding Officer with a meek, imploring look.

“Only if you’re the one who goes out there to face the wrath of Riza Hawkeye.” She whimpered pathetically.

* * *

 

It had taken a lot of convincing, and rather hysterical apologies and whimpers on Ed’s part, but they had somehow managed to explain the situation to Jean and Riza – mainly about how Edeline _had_ agreed to re-enlist but instead of being under Mustang, she would now be under the direct command of Lieutenant General Armstrong. 

Riza had been _infuriated,_ to say the very least, and had gone as far as pulling her gun out at Major Lee but she had backed off when Olivier had retaliated by unsheathing her sword and pointing it at the other blonde, leveling the sniper with her famous ice glare and ordering her to stand down.

Almost instantly, Hawkeye had backed off and once Ed finished signing her re-enlistment papers, Olivier and Major Lee finally left, leaving Ed and Alphonse staring at Jean and Riza in awkward silence.

They hadnt told them the real reason why Ed had taken the position – how her being under Olivier’s command instead of Mustang’s would make it much easier for Ed to track down the real culprit behind all the flame alchemy murders but somehow, Al knew that Riza had managed to figure out Ed’s motivations anyway because since Olivier had left, she hadnt pushed the issue any further.

Instead, she had given Edeline a small, knowing smile and tucked her gun back inside its holster.

Since it was evening by the time Olivier and Lee had left, Winry – who had arrived in the afternoon shortly after Ed’s private talk with Olivier – invited both Jean and Riza to stay for dinner and spend the night before they returned to Central the next morning. When Jean accepted rather enthusiastically, smiling at Winry as though she had just told him that he’d won the lottery, Riza had been forced to agree and so Winry had set them up in the two spare bedrooms upstairs.

Dinner had been an enjoyable, and surprisingly peaceful, affair.

Knowing his older sister, Al had fully expected another night of having to endure being in the middle of Winry and Ed’s famous screaming matches but thankfully, having guests over seemed to deter the two hot-headed blondes from their usual shenanigans. They spent most of the meal catching up with each other, with Jean sharing stories about what their team had been up to in the past three years and how much Central has changed since then. Riza was, as expected, quiet throughout most of the evening, but when Al had finally stood up to collect the empty plates, she had stood up with him and offered to help him wash the dishes.

When she didn’t seem to want to take no for an answer, Al sighed and allowed the blonde sniper to follow him into the kitchen. He paused by the doorway and watched as Riza helped him bring the rest of the empty dinner plates carefully to the sink.

“He’s going to be disappointed, you know.”

Looking up in surprise at the way her voice had broken the comfortable silence between them, Al looked up from where he had begun washing a few of their cutlery and gave her a confused look.

“What do you mean, Major?” He asked curiously.

“The General.” Riza clarified, chuckling quietly under her breath as she used a small washcloth to dry the newly washed plate Al had given her. “He’ll be _sorely_ disappointed to know that your sister won’t be joining his team again when she gets back.”

“I’m sure he will be.” Al smiled slightly at that, remembering fondly how the former Colonel, despite his seemingly cool demeanor to other people, had always been rather sensitive and clingy when it came to his team. “Given how much of a drama queen he was back then, I can only imagine the tantrum he’s going to throw in his office when he finds out.” He kidded.

“He’ll be _heartbroken._ ” Riza winced in agreement at Al’s words, amused that the 18-year-old still remembered his former Colonel so well. “Your sister was always his favorite subordinate. He still brags about Edeline all the time to the other officers. He calls her his little _protégé._ ” She rolled her eyes and gave him a wry smirk.

Al grinned proudly at that, his eyes bright with laughter as he handed her another newly washed plate. “She’ll probably never admit it, but _nee-chan_ really looks up to him. They had a lot of screaming matches back then but even then, she _never_ really went against his orders. She really trusted him.” He told her, glancing at her over his shoulder to give Riza a reassuring smile. “So even if she’ll be working for General Armstrong now, I have no doubt that nee-chan will remain fiercely loyal to General Mustang above all else.”

“I know.” Riza answered, returning his smile. “Everything else aside, I’m sure that Roy will just be glad that she’s coming back. Now, if only we could get _you_ to return to Central with her.” She kidded lightly.

“Me? Oh _no._ ” Al laughed at the idea and made a face. “I’ve had my share of the military, Major. Unlike my sister, I like living a quiet and peaceful life.” He told her.

“After everything you’ve been though, I don’t blame you.” Riza agreed as she reached for another dirty dish.

She looked as though she was just about to ask him something else when they were both interrupted by the sound of the door swing open behind them and they both turned around, watching as Jean peered his head into the room.

“Sorry to interrupt. Hey Al?”

Al paused and glanced over his shoulder at the blonde man.

“Do you mind if I use your phone? I have to call my girlfriend back home in Central. Otherwise, I think she’s really going to break up with me this time.” Jean winced as the words left his mouth, shaking his head and giving Al a sheepish smile. “It won’t take long, I promise. I just have to tell her that I’ll be coming back home tomorrow.”

“Sure, Major. Take all the time you need.” Al smirked at him but nodded and waved his concern away. “The phone’s out in the garage, just ask Winry where it is.”

“Thanks! I owe you, Al!” Jean grinned at him before he winked at the glare Riza gave him and left, closing the door shut quietly behind him. As soon as they wer alone, Al risked a quick glance over at Hawkeye again and he was surprised to see the blonde Lieutenant sigh softly to herself, a strange frown lingering on her face as she stared at the door Jean had closed in heated silence.

“Major Hawkeye? Are you okay…?” Al asked, studying her wistful expression.

When she noticed the way Al was looking at her in concern, Riza instantly colored and she coughed hastily before shaking her head and turning her attention back to the dishes in front of her. “I—I’m fine, Al. I was just… I was thinking about all of the work that’s waiting for me when I get back.” She answered hastily, avoiding his eyes.

Al raised an eyebrow in suspicion at that but he decided not to push the subject. He knew from personal experience that bothering Riza Hawkeye when she didn’t want to talk about something never tended to end well.

“So…Al. I never got the chance to ask her over dinner but I have to now since I know the General will when I get back. How _is_ Ed? I mean, how has she really been? How was her stay in Xing?” Riza asked, obviously trying to change the subject but Al didn’t really mind.

“Pretty well, from what she told me.” Al answered as he reached for more dirty utensils and submerged them in the sink. “To be honest, I actually think she would have stayed there longer if Ling hadn’t scared her off when he suddenly proposed marriage to her out of nowhere and all but hey, at least she’s back home—”

“Ling… _proposed_ to her?” Riza had stopped what she was doing and was now staring at Al with one of her chestnut eyes bigger than the other. “Prince Ling as in…the new _Emperor?_ That boy who had the homunculus _Greed_ inside him?!”

“Yeah, that’s the one.” Al laughed at the stunned expression on her face. “He and _nee-chan_ began dating shortly after she and I left Central to go back to Resembool. They made a pretty _good_ couple, actually. And I know nee-chan really liked him, despite how she was always saying that he was just an annoying alien.”

“I… _see._ ” Riza answered, obviously still in shock over the news. “So if she liked him and he proposed to her, then why did Ed run away?”

“She wasn’t ready yet.” Al answered easily, not even missing a beat. “Ever since our father left our mom, nee-chan’s always been afraid of ending up the same way. She acts tough all the time but she’s _terrified_ of commitment.” He told her as he wiped his hands on the towel. “Personally, I think she made the right choice when she left. She’s way too young to get married.” He declared protectively.

“The Emperor didn’t go after her when she left?” Riza asked curiously as she set her own towel down and leaned back against the sink.

“His advisers wouldn’t let him leave. Responsibilities of the throne and all that.” Al shrugged and made a face. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if proposing marriage to my sister was his advisers’ idea, not Ling’s. Nee-chan said that all of them had been pressuring Ling to take a wife ever since he turned eighteen.”

“I…see.” Riza said again, unable to think of anything else to say.

“They’re still friends though, so I guess my sister’s moved on. And from what I heard last from Mei, Ling was recently engaged to this nice Xingese girl from a noble family.” Al told her.

“That’s good to hear.” Riza managed a small smile and nodded in understanding. “It’s a shame though. Now that I think about it, they do make a rather good couple.” She chuckled at the thought, in spite of herself.

“Yes, they did.” Al smiled sadly. “They might have been too young to get married but a part of me wished that Ling _had_ gone after her. I think she really cared about him. I don’t like seeing her hurt.” He said softly.

He decided to keep to himself the fact that when Ed had first come home from Xing, she had locked herself up in her room for several days, refusing to eat anything or talk to anyone. Until one morning, while Al and Winry were downstairs eating breakfast, Ed had come clambering down the stairs, freshly showered and dressed, plopped down into the seat in front of them and began eating breakfast as though nothing had happened.

Al had known better than to pry, but thankfully enough, Ed pretty much returned to her normal self after that and the three of them hadn’t spoken about Ling ever since. Despite her dismissive behavior towards what happened though, Al knew for a fact that his sister _had_ loved Ling.

He only wished there was something he could do to help them get back together.

“Don’t blame yourself.” Recognizing the guilt in his expression, Riza gave him a fond smile and reached out to give his blonde hair an affectionate ruffle. “If it’s meant to work out between Ling and your sister, then it will. If he wants her, then he’ll go after her on his own time. It’s as simple as that.”

Al sighed loudly at that, shaking his head to clear his thoughts away and grumbling under his breath.

“Love is _weird._ ”

To his surprise, Riza laughed at his disgruntled expression – her stoic features uncharacteristically softening into an amused smile.

“Yes, it is.” She agreed, still chuckling as she took in his baffled expression. “And the more you grow older, the weirder it gets, I’m afraid.” She said ruefully. 

“Ugh. Why can’t it be more like alchemy? Simple and logical.” Al complained again, still grumbling to himself.

“Don’t take it all so seriously. You’re both still young, you have a lot of time before you think about settling down.” Riza said as she finally placed the last clean dish back into its proper compartment before she straightened and gave him a pointed look. “I mean, look at me. I’m turning thirty next year and I _still_ don’t have any plans of settling down.” She said wryly. 

“But you want to right? Someday?” Al asked curiously, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Riza sighed softly at that and, to Al’s surprise, her chestnut eyes slowly drifted away from his until she was staring quietly at the kitchen doors again, a strange, contemplative expression on her face.

“Yes. _Someday._ ” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, so many mismatched, unhappy couples right now, I certainly have my work cut out for me! Next chapter will feature Ed’s POV as she hops on a train back to Central. And maybe an angry Roy confronting Olivier about Ed ;)
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's commented on the story so far! Your thoughts are truly appreciated! :)


	4. Back to Central

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ed and Al are separated again; and a poor innocent soldier is scarred for life.

“Remember to write us at _least_ every week! And let me know the _instant_ something’s wrong with your leg. Oh and don’t forget those oils I sent you, it should help prevent any rusting. Oh, and don’t forget—“ 

“I got it, I got it already!” Ed snapped irritably, sighing in annoyance as she dropped her luggage heavily onto the train platform and turned to glare at Winry in exasperation. Al and Winry stood behind her, watching their exchange with amused smirks on their faces. “I don’t even understand why you two shitheads had to be here, I only asked _Al_ to be the one to drop me off.” She complained.

“What are you talking about? Of _course_ we’d be here to see you off! Who knows when you’ll be coming back?” Winry told her, frowning as she stopped in front of Ed, placed her hands on her hips and gave the other girl an admonishing glare. “Are you saying you would have left without saying goodbye?!”

In spite of herself, Ed gave her a wry grin and folded her arms behind her head. “Aw come on, Win. It’s not like I’m going back to Xing, I’m just heading over to Central. I’ll be like…a train ride away.” She reminded her.

“Well, _I_ for one am _glad_ that you’ll be miles away from us.” Mei chimed, flashing Ed a smug smile from where she was clinging tightly onto Al’s arm. “That way, Al and I will finally have some time alone to ourselves without you always interrupting—“

“Get your slimy paws off my innocent little brother, you whiny, shit-faced little brat with absolutely _no_ sex appeal.” Ed taunted back, smirking when, as she expected, the Xingese girl’s eyes instantly flared with anger.

Promptly letting go of a wincing Al’s arm, she stomped over to where Ed stood, lifted her chin and glared up at the blonde in challenge.

“I am _not_ a whiny, shit-faced brat and I do _too_ have sex appeal!” Mei raged back at her, her face flushed and her cheeks puffed as she glared indignantly at Ed.

“Heh. You could have fooled me, jailbait.” Ed drawled, ignoring the warning glare she was receiving from Al over Mei’s shoulder as she smirked wider and purposely looked up and down Mei’s 14-year-old figure in amusement.

“I can’t _believe_ you were able to seduce Al with _this_ curve-less body.” She snickered.

“Don’t listen to Ed, she’s an idiot. _I_ happen to think you’re very pretty, Mei.” Winry interrupted hastily before another embarrassing argument could break out. “And that dress looks really cute on you.”

Mei sniffed at that and turned to give Winry a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Winry—“

“That dress looks several sizes too big on you.” Ed smirked again, rudely interrupting their exchange. “You don’t even have the boobs to fill it out.”

“I’m only 14, you insensitive jerk!” Mei retorted, screwing her face up even more as tears of anger began leaking from her eyes. “Just you wait, I’ll get my boobs soon, and they’ll be _better_ than yours!” She huffed.

“Yeah, right. Like _that’ll_ happen.” Ed snorted derisively; still ignoring the warning look that Al was trying to give her over Mei’s shoulder as she glanced down and pointedly crossed her arms over her chest to emphasize her cleavage. “ _My_ boobs are fucking _gorgeous._ ” She boasted loudly, giving Mei a rather obnoxious smile.

“Now if only your _brain_ was even half their size.” Mei snapped back snidely.

“ _WHAT DID YOU SAY_?!”

“ _Nee-chan_ —“

Al looked embarrassed at all of the attention they were receiving as he hastily moved to stand between his girlfriend and his sister. Before he could reach them, however, Mei spoke up again, a slow smirk beginning to form on her face.

“Oh you didn’t hear me the first time? Then let me say it again.” Mei taunted again, laughing gleefully. “I said at least _I’m_ not some _dumb_ , foul-mouthed, _short_ blonde with boobs bigger than her brain!”

Hearing her words, the smirk on Ed’s face instantly disappeared and before either Al or Winry could react, she suddenly _exploded,_ her entire face flushing red with indignation as she stomped her feet and loomed over Mei with blazing eyes and her fangs out.

“ _WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING SHORT, YOU PIPSQUEAK?!”_ She shouted furiously, her voice echoing over the train platform and causing even more passengers to turn around and glance at them in concern. “ _I AM NOT SHORT ANYMORE! LOOK AT ME, I’M MUCH TALLER THAN YOU, YOU SHITTY BRAT!”_

“Yes, but I’m only 14.” Mei answered sweetly, an innocent smile on her face as she pointedly turned around and walked back over to Al. “I still have time to grow taller than you. You? You’re probably stuck like that.”

_“WHY YOU LITTLE—“_

“For truth’s sake Ed, just shut up! For once, would you just… _act your age?!_ ” Winry finally snapped, stepping in between the two arguing girls again and shoving them away from each other.

“It is _way_ too early in the morning for this.” She groaned.

Ed and Mei exchanged identical scowls, stamped their foot and pointed accusingly at each other.

“She started it!”

“Oh for the love of—would you both just _shut_ up? You’re making a scene!“ Al, who seemed to have finally had enough of his sister and his girlfriend’s antics, moved to stand beside Winry in between the two girls. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he ran a furious hand through his hair and gave his older sister a warning glare.

“Nee-chan, you really have to _stop_ picking on Mei, okay? And you’re not really one to talk, you were so curve-less at Mei’s age that people kept mistaking you for a _guy._ ” He pointed out bluntly, causing Ed to flush in embarrassment and Mei to burst out into gleeful giggles. “And _you,_ Mei. My older sister is a _genius,_ alright? Don’t call her a dumb blonde again, it kind of also insults _me_.” He told her.

At her words, the expression on Mei’s face suddenly became crestfallen and her eyes were slightly wet with tears as she looked up at Al and gave him a meek, apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, Alphonse-sama.” She whimpered, ignoring the way Ed rolled her eyes at her use of her nickname for Al in an obvious, pathetically obvious attempt to get him to forgive her.

“Don’t cry.” Sighing, Al rolled his eyes to himself but reached out and pulled the younger teen back into his arms in an effort to comfort her. “It’s fine, Mei. I’m not angry with you. Just…don’t fight with _nee-chan_ anymore, okay?”

“Hmph. Only if she promises to be nice.” Mei grumbled under her breath.

“Right back at you, you little shit.” Ed sneered.

“ _Nee-chan!”_

“Alright, alright! I _got_ it!” Ed cringed at the genuinely angry tone of her brother’s voice and finally stopped, raising her hands up at him in mock surrender. “Jeez, don’t bite my head off, Al. I don’t want you giving me the silent treatment, especially now when we’re not going to see each other for months.” She grumbled.

“Then stop fighting with my girlfriend.” Al told her, leveling her with an annoyed glare. “Honestly, you would think you’d get tired and grow out of it after two years.” He sighed in defeat.

“Ed never grows out of anything, Al. She’s just _that_ immature.” Winry quipped with a smirk, ignoring Ed’s violent retort as she walked up to the female alchemist again and gave her a warm, tight hug. “You be sure to take care of yourself out there, alright you jerk? Oh and send our regards to the General and the others.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Ed rolled her eyes and shrugged her off.

“Don’t worry about me so much, I’ll be fine. You just focus on planning that shitty wedding of yours, especially since that bastard of a doctor you call a fiancé is so useless anyway— _OW! DAMN IT, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!”_ She cursed in pain when Winry had glared at her and reached out to pinch her waist.

“ _That_ was for making fun of my fiancé.” Winry snapped, and before Ed could retaliate, the automail mechanic reached out again and pinched Ed hard on the arm this time.

“ _FUCKING—OW! STOP PINCHING ME, DAMN IT!”_

 _“—_ and _that_ is what’s going to happen to you a _thousand_ times over if you even dare to miss my wedding, Edeline Elric.” Winry warned her in a low voice, though the graveness of the threat was diminished somewhat by the teasing sparkle in her warm blue eyes. “Now don’t forget – I’ll be dropping by your dorm in Central after a few months so that we could make sure you fit into your gown.” When Ed just grumbled under her breath and gave her another scowl in reply, Winry just smiled and reached out to give her another long, warm hug.

“I already told you I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You did make me your maid of horror after all— _OW!_ I meant _honor! FUCK! YOU REALLY HAVE TO STOP PINCHING ME, WIN!”_ Ed exclaimed helplessly, pushing the other girl away and rubbing her sore arm.

“Be safe out there, okay?” Winry laughed warmly, shaking her head at the other girl’s antics. “And make sure to visit us often. As much as I hate your guts, I’m going to miss hearing your loud mouth and your constant swearing around the house.” She teased.

“Of course you will.” Ed retorted smugly but she couldn’t help her answering smile as she returned the other woman’s hug for a few more seconds before she finally pulled away and turned to Al beside her.

To Ed’s dismay, however, instead of smiling and wishing her well like he usually did whenever he had to drop her off, Al had his arms crossed and he was glaring at her, a knowing frown on his face. Knowing exactly what was going on inside his head, Ed gulped and nervously walked over to him, flashing him a disarming smile.

“Aren’t you going to give your older sister a goodbye hug?” She kidded weakly.

“You’re leaving again.”

At the accusatory tone of Al’s voice, Ed was instantly overcome with a wave of guilt. Her shoulder slumping, she took another tentative step towards him and dropped her eyes to the ground, shuffling her feet.

“I know. I _know,_ and I’m sorry but I promise that it won’t be for as long as last time, Al.” She told him, placing both her hands on his shoulders and pulling him slightly closer so she could meet his identical gold eyes. “After I settle this whole flame alchemy issue, I’m coming right back home. _I promise._ It’ll all be done so fast that you won’t even have time to miss me.” She assured him, giving him a confident grin.

“I was thinking—“ Al frowned again and, to Ed’s surprise, he looked a little uncomfortable as he shifted his feet. “—maybe you should consider staying in Central for longer time, nee-chan.” He suggested.

“What do you mean?” Ed blinked in confusion at his words and she stared at him, trying not to show how deeply offended she was by his words. “Are you telling me you want me gone? You don’t want me to come home?” She asked.

“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.” Al rolled his eyes at her melodramatics and finally gave her a small, knowing smile. Ignoring the way she scowling at him, he reached out and finally pulled her into a tight, warm hug. When they pulled apart, he leaned down – being the taller of the two, much to Ed’s chagrin – so he could meet her eyes properly. “All I’m saying is…Maybe you should consider pursuing a real career in the military this time.”

“What?” Ed stared at him again, blinking a couple of times as she processed what he had said. “Wait a minute – are you serious? You actually want me to _stay_ in the military? Or is that just your way of telling me that you want to get rid of me?” She demanded.

“I’m serious.” Al rolled his eyes again but laughed and gave her a knowing look. “I just don’t want you alone in Resembool. Remember, in a few months, Winry will be getting married. And then afterwards, _I’ll_ be the one leaving for Xing with Mei. You might find yourself coming home to an empty house.” He said softly.

As she considered his words, Ed began to scowl again and she glanced over Al’s shoulder to glare accusingly at Mei.

“You’re staying in Xing to be with _that_ pre-pubescent flagpole?” She growled, causing Al to wince.

“Nee-chan, don’t _call_ her a—“

“I am _not_ a pre-pubescent flagpole, you foul, insensitive _twat!”_ Mei growled back, glaring at her.

“Okay, _stop_ right now _._ ” Al cut them off again sharply, turning Ed back around so that her back was facing Mei instead. “ _Anyway,_ yes, I’ll be going to Xing with Mei. She _is_ my girlfriend, _nee-chan_. And we _are_ in a serious relationship so she wants me to meet her family and spend some time with them.” He told her, smiling slightly.

“Ugh.” Ed made a face and groaned as she reached up and massaged her throbbing temples. “I still can’t believe I even let you date that little brat. She is _way_ too young for you, Alphonse.” She muttered.

Al snorted at that and narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a knowing smirk.

“Says the girl who dated a man five years older than her.” He retorted.

“I was _bored_ that day.” Ed reddened slightly at that but grinned and gave him a saucy wink. “And the man was a _lawyer,_ Al. You know how much I love intelligence in a man.” She quipped, and Al groaned loudly, shaking his head.

“That just proves my point. You’d be bored out of your mind alone in Resembool.” He told her, grinning in spite of himself at the way Ed just scoffed in response. “I really think the military will be good for you. You’ll have really amazing people like General Armstrong and General Mustang there to learn from. You might even enjoy it this time – you know, with the threat of having to save the country from genocide out of the way.” He joked.

Ed was unable to hold back a smile at his words as she reached out and yanked the younger Elric into another tight, bone-crushing hug, using the same gesture to ruffle his blonde hair at the same time.

“Hey—“ Al protested weakly.

“Since when did you become such a smart ass, my adorable little baby brother?” She grinned affectionately as she reluctantly let him go, watching as a scowling Al jerked away from her and began straightening his hair and clothes.

“I’ve _always_ been the smarter of the two of us.” He said smugly, earning another smile from his sister.

“Is that right?” She teased.

She would have said more but the military-exclusive train that Olivier had booked her on had finally chosen that moment to arrive on the platform, momentarily halting their conversation. As she heard the train’s loud, deafening whistle calling out for its occupants, Ed winced in realization and she turned back to stare worriedly at Al.

“I think that’s my train.” She announced uncertainly, biting her lip.

Winry and Mei had walked up to stand behind the two Elrics, watching their little exchange. When all of them finally seemed to realize that Ed would be leaving soon, Winry’s eyes became slightly glassy and even Mei fell silent as the petite Xingese girl reached out to clasp Al’s shaking, clammy hand tightly in hers.

“Well…I guess I’d better get on before the train leaves.” Ed managed a soft, choked-up laugh and pointedly ignored the lump that was forming painfully in her throat.

Knowing that Al would be able to read her emotions well enough anyway, she decided to avoid meeting his tearful gaze as she leaned in again, pulling him and Winry into one last hug. “Take care of yourselves, okay? And don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything, I swear I’ll come rushing back home if I have to.” She told them.

As she pulled away slowly, Ed reluctantly turned her attention to Mei again and, grumbling to herself, she rolled her eyes but managed to give the younger girl a small grin.

“Take care of my little brother for me, alright pipqueak?” She teased.

“You got it, you blonde twat.” She parried back, shooting her a smirk.

Ed felt her left eye twitch at that but when Al shot her yet _another_ glare, she bit her tongue and decided not to let loose another string of rather interesting, creative curses she wanted to snap out at the Xingese girl.

Instead, as she slung the strap of her luggage over her shoulder, she shot them all one last, wide grin – her gaze lingering on Al a bit longer than the others – before she turned around and began walking to the train. Just as she had stepped onboard, she heard a familiar voice call out to her again and, absentmindedly, she cast anothers glance over her shoulder just in time to see Al’s sad, wistful smile as he waved at her.

“See you soon, _nee-chan!_ ”

The train was already pulling away when Ed finally returned his smile and began to wave back at him, suddenly nostalgic as she remembered all of the other times in the past that she had been together on trains like this. Back then, Al had always been with her and they were practically inseparable from each other in their search for the elusive philosopher’s stone.

_I never thought I’d miss those days._

A sad smile lingered on Ed’s face as she watched the train beginning to pull out of the station.

Neither of them stopped waving at each other until the train had moved completely away from the platform and they were both so far away from each other that they saw nothing but an inscrutable blonde dot in the distance

_See you soon, Al._

* * *

Sergeant Major Jacob Hicks was definitely not having a good month.

He had been assigned to a series of administrative projects in South Headquarters by his Commanding Officer for the last couple of weeks – mainly because South HQ had been a bit short of hands lately due to a lot of reassignments and bureaucratic red tape.

Now that he had finally finished his work and was looking forward to returning to his family in Central, his CO had once _again_ contacted him and given him another field assignment – this time, up _north._

In _Briggs._

As far as outside assignments went, being assigned to _Briggs_ was the absolute worst. Not only were the officers there known to be particularly brutal and unrelenting, but he had heard several horror stories about how the head general there – Lieutenant General Armstrong – had once made her men spend a night out in a cold blizzard when one of the men had accidentally dropped his rifle in the middle of their morning drills.

Needless to say, Jacob was by no means looking forward to suffering from hypothermia anytime soon, thank you very much. And as much as he was curious as to whether or not the rumors were true that the famous Ice Queen of Briggs was actually quite beautiful, despite her terrifying demeanor, he wasn’t quite _that_ eager for a death wish.

He could only hope that the rumors were true and that the Lieutenant General _had_ in fact been reassigned by the Fuhrer to head a new department back in Central. If that was the case, then he _might_ be able to survive a couple of weeks out in Briggs, but _only_ if he kept his head low and tried not to draw too much attention to himself.

Jacob was startled out of his thoughts when the train had started moving again, having just made another stop in a nearby town. Letting out a weary sigh, he stood up and began making his way back down to his compartment way on the other end of the train.

_Whose stupid idea was it to place the dining cart way at the back of the train anyway?_

It didn’t help his mood that instead of the usual civilian train he took whenever he went out on these out of office trips, to save time, his CO had ordered him to take the military express instead – which meant that there were absolutely _no_ beautiful civilian women onboard for him to flirt with or at least pass the time.

Women were _always_ attracted to soldiers, after all, and a lot of them were often impressed when he told them that at his age of 24, he was already a Sergeant Major. In fact, mentioning his rank had often gotten him a lot of pretty good girlfriends in the past, most of which he had ended up going out with after only a few dates.

Smiling a little smugly to himself at the thought, he was just about to push past the doors of another compartment when, to his surprise, he caught a flash of gold from the corner of his eye.

Turning toward it, he was immediately taken back at the sight of a beautiful blonde woman sitting in one of the train’s empty compartments, with a thick book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. From her youthful features, he guessed that she couldn’t have been any older than 18 or 19, and his suspicions were confirmed when she lowered her book slightly, allowing him a good glimpse of her pretty face.

Thankfully, it didn’t look like she had noticed his presence just yet and so he took that moment to just _stare_ at her, ogling her exquisite features, her long, slim legs clad in tight, black leather pants, and her gorgeous cleavage, revealed slightly by a low-cut black top which she covered with a long, hooded red coat.

Most of all, however, he stared intently at her shining blonde hair – long and gleaming with such an unnaturally golden shade that Jacob doubted he had ever seen anything quite like it. And that was saying something, considering he had dated his fair share of blondes over the years.

He hesitated for a few seconds when he realized that she was obviously a soldier – she wouldn’t have been admitted into a military train if she weren’t. But judging from her young age, Jacob was willing to bet that she couldn’t have been of a rank higher than a _Private_ or maybe a _Lance Corporal._ In other others, he was obviously of a much higher rank than she was and that put _him_ at a massive advantage in flirting with her.

Just like all civilian women liked soldiers, all _female_ soldiers were _always_ attracted to men who were of higher rank than they were. This was just a fact of life. And once this girl found out that he was a Sergeant Major, he had no doubts that he would have her eating out of the palm of his hand.

“Excuse me. Uhm—”

Jacob waited until the girl looked up from her book and her startled, slightly annoyed gaze settled on him.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw the stunning golden color of her eyes. Holy hell, this girl was just bloody gorgeous. She would definitely be his next girlfriend if he had something to say about it!

“—I was wondering. Would you mind if I sit here with you?” He asked, flashing her a wide, charming smile.

She stared blankly at him, the annoyed look in her eyes lingering for a few seconds before it suddenly cleared, and her lips curled upwards into a decidedly amused smirk. Placing the book she held back gently onto her lap, she set her cup of coffee back down onto the table in front of her and gestured lazily to the seat across hers.

“Please.” She drawled.

“Thank you. I’m Sergeant Major Jacob Hicks, by the way.” He grinned and gave himself a mental clap on the back at the way her eyebrow arched curiously at the mention of his rank. “I couldn’t help noticing that you were here all by yourself and I thought you could use some company. Are you heading to Central? From what town are you?” He asked, unable to stop the barrage of questions from spilling out of his mouth.

Instead of answering right away, she continued to smirk at him and arched a single eyebrow as she leaned back against his seat, crossed her legs and regarded him with an amused gaze. Feeling more than a little uncomfortable as her golden eyes continued to scrutinize him closely, her sharp gaze roaming up and down his form, Jacob felt himself flush and he shifted uneasily in his seat.

She finally answered after a long moment’s pause, one corner of her mouth lifting into a knowing grin.

“I’m from Resembool.”

“Oh, Resembool. I’ve heard that was a nice, albeit quiet town. I was there once on an assignment, you know.” Jacob commented, fighting another urge to stare when she smiled slowly and gave him a lazy, appraising look.

“You were?” She drawled back, golden eyes flickering with mild interest. “How long were you stationed there for?”

“About a month, I think.” He answered easily, leaning back against his seat. “My CO likes to assign me to different sectors of the military every now and then. She thinks traveling all the time will give me a lot of good, solid experience for when I become a leader someday.” He told her.

“I see.” The girl answered again, crossing her legs and taking another sip of her coffee.

“Who’s your CO, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Lieutenant Maria Ross.” He answered proudly, smirking to herself when he noticed the way the girl’s golden eyes widened slightly in surprise.

_Oh I knew it, she is definitely interested now. Maybe I should tell her about the other higher-ups I’ve worked with. That ought to impress her._

As the thought popped into his head, Jacob smirked to himself and continued. “Well, she’s my direct CO anyway. But every now and then, the Lieutenant works with Major Riza Hawkeye, who _then_ works directly for Brigadier General Mustang. So it’s almost like I’m working _indirectly_ for his team too, you know.” He boasted.

“I see.”

The blonde looked definitely impressed now as she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned widely at him, her golden eyes twinkling mischievously.

“So you work often with Brigadier General Roy Mustang, do you?” She asked.

_Damn it, I should have known she’d ask about Mustang._

Jacob tried hard not to groan to himself and frantically wracked through his brain to say something that might help get her attention away from asking about the famous Flame Alchemist. He didn’t want her to think that she could use him to get close to the handsome Brigadier General.

“Well, _once_ or _twice,_ certainly not a lot, if that’s what you mean.” He amended hastily and forced a laugh, waving the question away. “I mean, I don’t actually get to _see_ the Brigadier General. I’ve only talked to Major Hawkeye. Though I _have_ seen his office a few times.” He added thoughtfully.

“I actually know your Commanding Officer. We’ve met before. She’s a brilliantly astute woman.” The girl answered him with another knowing smile, peering innocently at him over her cup of coffee.

“Aye, that she is.” Jacob agreed, though he couldn’t quite place the strange tone of her voice. “By any chance, have you also met Major Hawkeye and Brigadier General Mustang?” He asked curiously.

This time, Jacob noticed that the amused smile the blonde girl gave him _definitely_ meant something but he decided to shove his growing suspicion aside, choosing to ignore all the alarm bells going off inside his head.

“I may have come across their names a few times or so when I was younger.” She teased.

_When she was younger…?_

Jacob frowned in confusion at her words and stared curiously at her again, trying to gauge how old she really was and wondering how on earth she could have met his Commanding Officer, Major Hawkeye and even the Brigadier General already. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out the question that was lingering in his head.

“How old are you anyway?” He asked bluntly.

The blonde girl smirked widely at him, gingerly placing her chin on her hand and leaning forward towards him, causing Jacob to blush when he realized how close her face was to his.

“Hasn’t anybody ever told you, _Sergeant Major,_ that you should never ask a woman her age? It’s quite _rude._ ” She purred in a low voice, instantly causing the blush on Jacob’s face to darken even more in embarrassment.

Or perhaps it was arousal.

With her being so close to him like this, he wasn’t exactly sure anymore.

“M—my apologies. I didn’t mean to be rude. I was just curious.” He stammered nervously.

“I see.” She smiled again and lowered her eyelashes slowly, giving him a suggestive look. “Why? How old do you _want_ me to be, _Sergeant Major_?” She purred his rank again, causing Jacob to break out into a nervous sweat.

“U—uhm— That is— _anyway!”_ Jacob moved away hastily from her and pressed his back against his seat, a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. When she glanced back at him in obvious amusement, he swallowed nervously and decided quickly that a change of subject was in order.

“So uh…any family in Central, then? Friends? Or a… _boyfriend_ …maybe?” He asked hopefully.

It was a deliberate and frankly, an embarrassingly transparent attempt to find out more about her but Jacob found that he couldn’t care less. He realized that all of his usual, subtler flirting tactics weren’t going to be effective with this woman, especially when it was clear that she obviously had the upper hand in that department.

“Nope. No family. No boyfriend either, I’m afraid.” She answered, and he couldn’t help the way his grin widened at her response. “Frankly, I doubt I’ll have much time for any of that under my new CO.” She added innocently.

“Really? Who’s your new CO then?” Jacob asked.

She blinked once and met his gaze evenly.

“Lieutenant General Olivier Armstrong.”

Jacob heard the name spoken but it actually took him a few more seconds before it had registered in his head. The minute it did, however, his eyes grew as wide as saucers and he fell back and gaped at her as though she had just admitted to having two heads.

“B—b—but! Lieutenant General Armstrong is one of them big bosses! Sh—she’s _terrifying_!”

The girl shrugged, looking completely uninterested as she stared out the window at the passing scenery.

“—and she’s way up the military roster! I heard that she doesn’t even take soldiers into her team without them having sufficient experience!” He continued to stammer.

“I’m a State Alchemist.”

The blonde girl looked positively _bored_ now as Jacob’s eyes flicked to the book she had been reading before he walked in and he eyes widened again as he read the book’s title for the first time - _Advanced Alchemic Theories and Equations._ Still sputtering in shock, he couldn’t help but notice the fact that the bookmark she had placed in the book was _well_ near its end pages, which suggested that she was almost done reading the entire book.

“Or at least, I _will_ be. I’ll be taking the State Alchemist Qualification Exam tomorrow. Which is precisely why I need to get my studying done before we arrive in Central.” She added pointedly, giving him an annoyed glare.

“Wow.”

“ _What?_ ”

He paused when he realized that the playful, flirtatious tone of her voice had suddenly disappeared and instead, she was glaring dangerously at him, her golden eyes narrowed and a challenging sneer curling her lips.

Swallowing nervously, he gave her a sheepish smile and scratched at the back of his head.

“It’s just that…You definitely did _not_ strike me as an alchemist-type of woman, you know what I mean? Well, you _definitely_ don’t look like one. You’re just so… _young._ ” He mused, shifting uneasily when he noticed the way the blonde’s eyes were blazing now and the way she was gritting her teeth, her hands clenching into fists.

Belatedly realizing that he may have treaded on dangerous ground, Jacob decided to retreat for now.

She may not have been the _Private_ or _Lance Corporal_ he had initially thought she was but she _did_ say that she was there to take the Alchemist exam, which meant that she was, _technically,_ not of a higher rank than him.

Not _yet,_ anyway.

So that meant he could still flirt with her.

With that in mind, he leaned forward and gave her another one of his charming, flirtatious smiles.

“By the way, I never got your name.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Edeline Elric.”

The blonde girl’s cold eyes and highly amused smirk remained completely impassive as Jacob stiffened and began to sputter in front of her again, all of the blood draining from his face the instant he realized who she was. As he struggled to catch his breath, the blonde smiled smugly and leaned back, resting her chin obnoxiously over her intertwined fingers as she watched him.

“I also go by the title of Fullmetal Alchemist, in case you were wondering.”

When she saw the way Jacob was obviously still trying to somehow work his thoughts out into any coherent words, she smirked and raised one of her legs – her _left_ leg – and used it to promptly _stop_ heavily on his shoe.

At the sharp pain of what _definitely_ felt like an _automail leg_ stabbing into his poor foot, Jacob let out a very unmanly yelp. He stumbled as he scampered up from his seat and hastily raised his hand up into a messy salute.

A terrified voice was screaming in absolute panic from somewhere inside his head.

_Bloody fucking hell, I just hit on a high-ranking officer! Screw that, I just hit on the Fullmetal Alchemist! How the hell was I supposed to know who she was?!_

“Lieutenant Colonel, Ma’am!” Jacob squeaked shakily as he stood in front of her, fighting back the urge to wince when he realized that he was sweating _very_ profusely under her amused gaze.

“At ease, Sergeant Major.” The Lieutenant Colonel’s eyes gleamed with mirth as she took in his rigid posture and panicked expression.

Then, with a quiet chuckle and a shake of her head, she tossed a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder and turned back to her book, raising a small hand and waving him dismissively towards the exit of her compartment.

“There’s the door, Sergeant Major. I suggest you use it. And be sure not to let it hit you on your sweaty ass on your way out, soldier.” She drawled, snickering.

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Jacob didn’t bother waiting for the rest of the Lieutenant Colonel’s reaction before he whirled around, still sweating out _buckets,_ and scampered, as fast as humanely possible, away from the compartment.

He was _definitely_ never hitting on blondes again after this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So alright, originally I was going to include Roy and Olivier’s confrontation scene in this chapter but then it got too long so I decided to include it in the next chapter instead – which by the way, will be written entirely in Roy’s POV so please stay tuned! :D 
> 
> Who else loved seeing a little bit of Ed’s obnoxiously flirty side in this chapter? I had so much fun writing it! Some of you might find it a little OC but personally, I really imagine fem Ed like this. She’d definitely be just as vain and cocky and obnoxious as male Ed, and she would definitely use situations like this (men drooling over her) to inflate her immature little ego. (giggle)


	5. Crazy Kooky Officers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Roy tries to give Olivier some flowers, and then sulks.

“Excuse me, Sir? I’m sorry but the Lieutenant General is not to be disturbed right now.” 

Roy Mustang blinked in surprise and froze just as he had entered the large, circular office.

He looked up, staring blankly at the expectant smile of a young, redheaded _Private_ seated behind a large desk situated by the front door. Struggling to hide his growing impatience at having been stopped, Roy reluctantly lowered the two, freshly bought bouquets of carnations he held in his hands and plastered a smile on his face as he approached the grinning, redheaded soldier.

“My apologies, Private, but I’m afraid this is rather urgent. Allow me to introduce myself—“

“Brigadier General Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. Yes, I know who you are, Sir. And may I say, you are definitely taller and _much_ more handsome in person. That uniform really brings out the color of your eyes.” The redhead answered with another cheeky smile, ignoring the incredulous look that Roy gave him as the Private stood up from his desk and gave him a proper salute. “My name is Private Dylan Hanz, Sir. I’ve just been assigned as the administrative assistant of Lieutenant General Armstrong’s new team.” He answered.

“At ease, Private.” Roy blinked again and continued to stare in confusion at him for a few more seconds before he arched an eyebrow and decided to ignore the inkling in his head that the man may have just _hit_ on him.

“So you’re the new team secretary then?” He asked curiously, glancing around the empty office.

“Yes, Sir. This is actually my first real assignment so I’m quite excited to be working under Lieutenant General Armstrong and Lieutenant Colonel Elric.” Hanz answered him with another smile and gestured around the room. “I’m here a day early to assist the Lieutenant General with the moving in of all of her stuff. The rest of the team will be arriving tomorrow so I’m making sure that all of the tables and furniture are set up by then.” He added.

“I see.” Roy answered him distractedly, his eyes narrowing in annoyance when he heard Edeline’s name.

He ignored the uncomfortably appraising look that Hanz was not-too-discreetly sweeping down his form and took advantage of the Private’s momentary distraction to inspect the newly constructed office.

 _I want an office like this._ Roy thought to himself with a childish scowl.

He noticed that, unlike his own office, Olivier’s office was a bit _larger_ and it had _two_ inner rooms set up – one larger one at the very back, obviously meant for Olivier, and another, much smaller office beside it. The rest of the room was still mostly bare but Roy could see that the team’s desks had already been put into place, as well as the appropriate phone lines and extensions connecting each one.

Hanz’ desk was situated near the very end of the room near the door, a clear indication that he was the most junior of the team in terms of rank, but also no doubt to prevent people from entering the office freely.

“Sir?”

Roy turned back to glance at Private Hanz again, noting the way he was shifting uncomfortably and nervously flicking his gaze back and forth between Roy and the slightly ajar door of the larger inner office.

“Was there anything else?” Hanz asked again, peering curiously at him.

“I’m here to see the Lieutenant General. I just need to talk to her for a few minutes.” Roy decided to try a different approach as he turned back to face the Private, flashing him a wide, charming smile as he held up the two bouquets in his arms. “And besides, I also bought her these beautiful carnations. The Lieutenant General is a very big fan of flowers, you see. I’m sure she’d appreciate them in her new office.” He winked at the redhead, causing Hanz to flush slightly.

“I’m sorry, Sir, but the Lieutenant General really made it quite clear that she was not to be disturbed this afternoon. Perhaps I could arrange an appointment for you tomorrow?” He offered but before he could even reach for his notebook, Roy’s entire façade dropped instantly and the smile on his face began to dissolve into an impatient scowl.

“Listen here, _Private!_ ” Roy snapped, his eyes flashing in warning and narrowing into dangerous slits. “I want to speak to your Commanding Officer right _now!_ Or would you rather I have you court martialed?!” He growled.

“I—I’m sorry, Sir!” Hanz’s eyes widened nervously and he squeaked as he took a step back, accidentally bumping into his desk and causing several stacks of paper to scatter onto the floor. “But please don’t take that tone with me, I’m just the secretary. And I’m afraid I really can’t let you through, no matter _how_ attractive you are—“

Without waiting for the flustered Private to finish, Roy let out an annoyed growl and pushed past him, ignoring his panicked protests as he strode into the office and began walking towards the larger, inner room.

“General Mustang, please wait! The Queen will kill me—“

_The Queen, huh?_

Roy held back a smirk as he registered the nickname but he ignored Hanz’s protests and hurried footsteps behind him anyway as he pushed past the doors leading into Olivier’s office.

He found the blonde General sitting behind her desk, which, to Roy’s amusement – instead of being situated in front of the window like all the other officers – had instead been placed at the side of the room with a block of solid wall behind it. The rest of her office was already decorated with lush, elegant looking furniture, several bookshelves, and a large glass display of intricately made _sabres_ encrusted with the Armstrong insignia. Several expensive paintings also hung off the room’s white, pristine walls.

When Olivier made no move to look up from her desk despite having heard him storm noisily into the room, Roy cleared his throat loudly, forcing the blonde General to lift her gaze slowly until her ice blue eyes met his own. As usual, an annoyed scowl marred her aristocratic features and one of her eyebrows arched as she glared impassively at him, not at all looking amused by his untimely interruption.

Undaunted by her less than friendly reception, Roy flashed the Ice Queen of Briggs a wide, obnoxiously cheerful smile and strode pointedly into the room, ignoring Hanz’s panicked whimpering behind him as he plopped himself down onto the seat directly in front of Olivier’s desk.

“Armstrong.”

“Mustang.”

Olivier’s voice sounded more than a little annoyed as she looked up from the thick stack of paperwork on her desk and leaned back, studying him with a cold glare. More than a little used to her famous death glares at this point throughout their professional career, the charming smile on Roy’s face never even wavered.

“As much as I enjoy these useless, senseless chats with you, Mustang, I’m afraid I’m rather busy at the moment. So why don’t you tell me what I can do for you?” She asked bluntly.

“Ma’am! I am _so_ sorry! I tried to stop him!” Hanz looked as though he was about to cry as he stopped behind Roy’s chair, his entire face flushed with dismay as he bowed repeatedly to Olivier. Beads of nervous sweat were continuously trickling down the side of his face.

“He wouldn’t listen to me and he was so charming at first but then he just stormed in before I could—“

Olivier’s scowl deepened as she rolled her eyes briefly at the ceiling and let out an annoyed, exasperated sigh.

“This is exactly why I requested for a _straight_ male secretary.” She muttered blandly to herself. 

At her words, Hanz looked mortified and he bowed down again in embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry, Ma’am! It won’t happen again—“

“Don’t beat yourself up over it.” Olivier drawled as she cast a lazy glance at him before smirking and waving him towards the doors. “Roy Mustang is a plague to all women and gay men alike. There’s the door, Private.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Hanz swallowed and gave her another nervous, shaky salute, ignoring Roy’s amused smirk as he whirled around and bolted out of the room, leaving the two Generals staring at each other in awkward silence. When Roy didn’t bother saying anything and continued to smile brightly at her, Olivier’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“What do you want?” She demanded.

“You know, I really have to hand it to your new secretary.” Instead of answering her question, Roy’s grin widened and he gestured towards her door. “He’s got guts. I think he was the first, lower ranking _male_ to ever hit on me ever since I became a Colonel.”

“You have exactly five minutes before I kick you out of my office, Mustang.”

“I brought you flowers.” Roy smiled innocently at the way Olivier’s left eye twitched in irritation and offered her the two bouquets in his hands. “Carnations. Though, I wasn’t sure which color you’d like – yellow or white.”

“Neither.” Olivier retorted flatly, giving him a blank glare.

“What, are they running out of women for you to hit on in those bars of yours that you’re actually starting to hit on colleagues now? Sorry to disappoint you, Mustang, but you’re really not my type.” She drawled.

“You misunderstand me, Armstrong.” Roy reddened slightly at her words and he clenched his right fist to prevent himself from snapping his fingers. “Consider this a…peace offering, slash, welcoming gift.” He offered.

“Peace offering?” Olivier looked amused as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her table and placing her chin on top of her intertwined hands. “I wasn’t aware that either of us had declared war on each other, Mustang. Though I must say, if we _had,_ I guarantee you that you wouldn’t be standing right now.” She smirked.

Roy began to grit his teeth and clenched his fist tighter, desperately trying to reign in his temper.

“I’m here to discuss what happened in Resembool.”

“Oh?” A single blonde, slim eyebrow rose as Olivier blinked at him again, her pink lips twisting into a sneer as she gave him another impassive glare. “I didn’t know you were in Resembool. I was just there myself actually.”

“You know very well I wasn’t, Olivier.” The smile on Roy’s face finally faltered and his eyes darkened with anger as he glared at her, his features twisting into a scowl. “My subordinates, however, were there and guess what? Major Hawkeye and Major Havoc told me all about how you _bullied_ them.” He accused.

“I did no such thing.” There was definitely no mistaking the amusement on Olivier’s face as she leaned forward again and regarded him with a cool look.

“I can’t help it if your incompetent subordinates can’t carry out simple instructions.”

“Obviously, _not_ if they’re up against someone of higher rank.”

“Care to clarify, Mustang?”

“Explain _this_.” Roy growled as he snatched a piece of paper from one of the thick piles of paperwork on Olivier’s desk and held it up to her face. Once glance at it and they both recognized it as the new organizational chart that the Fuhrer had circulated to the entire Central HQ that afternoon, detailing the new assignments and the batch of new officers who were going to reporting directly to Olivier starting tomorrow.

“Hawkeye told me about how you conscripted Edeline into your new team.” Roy pointed out.

“So I did.” Olivier didn’t even bat an eyelash as she withdrew her impassive gaze away from the sheet of paper he held in obvious boredom. “Frankly, I don’t see how that’s any concern of yours, though.” She pointed out.

“Why did you conscript her?” Roy demanded.

“I want people I can trust on my team.” Olivier answered easily, arching an eyebrow at him in challenge. “Surely, _you,_ of all people, can understand how important that is.”

“Yes, but why _Edeline?_ ” Roy asked again, failing to hide the impatient tone in his voice.

“The Fuhrer said that I needed a State Alchemist on my team. And I wanted a good one.” Olivier answered with an elegant, careless wave of a perfectly manicured hand.

“We have an entire roster of perfectly good, highly qualified State Alchemists here in Central from which you could have chosen from. Why go through all that trouble to re-enlist the Fullmetal Alchemist?” Roy persisted.

“That may be the case.” Olivier looked amused at the way Roy was obviously trying very hard not to simply reach across the table and jostle the other General in his frustration. “But I wanted an _exceptionally_ good Alchemist. One who’s smart, and competent and has a lot of experience out in the field. More importantly, I wanted someone who isn’t terrified of me.” She answered, smirking.

“You know she can’t even do alchemy anymore, right?” Roy told her pointedly. “What good would it do to hire a State Alchemist who can’t actually _perform_ alchemy?”

To his confusion, Olivier just looked particularly self-satisfied at his declaration and she simply smirked at him again, crossing her arms and leaning back smugly against her seat.

“Ignorance really does suit you, Mustang.” She quipped.

“What does that mean?!” Roy’s eyes narrowed at her words but before he could ask her about it any further, Olivier raised another dainty hand and waved it dismissively at him.

“Are we done here, Brigadier General? I have more important things to do with my time than to explain things to you.” She drawled impatiently, flipping her long hair over her shoulder and swiveling her chair around so that Roy saw nothing but the other side of its backrest.

Roy’s eyes narrowed with affronted indignation at the way she was obviously trying to dismiss him. Instead of leaving, he sneered and remained stubbornly in his seat, glaring at the back of her chair.

“Fullmetal was _my_ subordinate, you realize.” He growled.

“Your point?”

“She’s _mine_!”

Startled by his enraged outburst, Olivier blinked and finally swiveled her seat around again to face him, giving him a strange look. She arched an eyebrow at him, watching as he fidgeted nervously in his seat.

“I beg your pardon?”

Roy realized too late how wrong his words must have sounded to the other General but before he could say anything else, his face had already flushed with embarrassment. At the strange, suspicious look that Olivier gave him, he stifled the ridiculous urge to cringe nervously and hastily corrected himself.

“What I _meant_ was—“ Roy emphasized, causing Olivier’s eyebrow to arch even higher. “—if Edeline is going to enlist again, she should be back under _my_ command and _my_ supervision. I _was_ the one who first found her, after all. I was the one who first recruited her and trained her. She should be with me. I’m her mentor, she already _trusts_ me.” He added with a scowl, horrified to realize that he was very close to sounding like a whiny little kid who was being denied his birthday presents.

Olivier barely even batted an eyelash at his words.

“Again, Mustang, your point is?”

“Give Fullmetal back to me.” Roy finally blurted out, flashing her a disarming smile as he rifled through a few of the folders he had brought with him and laid them down onto Olivier ‘s desk.

“—And in exchange and as a token of my heartfelt gratitude, I’ll give you all _five_ of these brilliant State Alchemists we drafted just last year. From what I’ve heard, they’re all very skilled and promising.”

At the unimpressed glare that Olivier gave him, Roy gave her another desperately charming smile, hoping that she didn’t notice the bead of sweat that rolled down the side of his face.

“See? That’s more than a fair trade, don’t you think? A little something we alchemists like to call – _equivalent exchange._ ” He forced out a choked, nervous laugh.

“You know I don’t believe in equivalent exchange, Roy. I think it’s a useless, stupid concept.” Olivier answered bluntly, not even sparing a single glance at him or his folders. She swiveled her seat around again and stared up at the painting on the wall behind her in boredom. “No deal, Mustang. Now get the hell out of my office.”

“Damn it, Armstrong!” Roy finally exploded and slammed his fist down against the table. “Ed is _my_ protégé, she should be part of _my_ team! Give her back to me!” He demanded, all but huffing as he finally lost his composure.

Olivier didn’t turn back around to face him so Roy couldn’t see her face but from the smugness in her voice, he could tell that there was another haughty smirk on her face when she answered.

“And yet, between the two offers that were thrown at her, she chose to be a part of _my_ team, did she not?” Olivier pointed out. “You forget that she’s not exactly a child anymore, Mustang. Maybe she’s finally decided that she wants to work under a real leader for a change.”

With that, Olivier finally stood up, exuding a powerful grace that all other women – or men for that matter – could only ever _hope_ to achieve and began walking towards the door.

“Now if you don’t mind, I think you’ve wasted quite enough of my time as it is and I have an important meeting with the Fuhrer to prepare for so…” She didn’t bother finishing her sentence but instead, reached her hand out and pulled open the doors, gesturing for him to leave the room.

“I’ll listen to your whining some other time, Mustang.”

“Armstrong.” Roy growled and leaned back stubbornly against the backrest of his seat, rested his ankle on his knee and raised one of his hands up, his thumb and pointer finger prepared to snap.

“I am _not_ leaving this office until you give me back _my_ protégé. Now, unless you want all these precious paintings on your walls to be incinerated into _ashes,_ then I suggest you give me back Edeline _now._ ”

“You know I don’t take kindly to threats, Flame Alchemist.”

“Then maybe you should consider—“

Before Roy could even finish his sentence, Olivier had already stalked across the room. Another split second later, the blonde General had unsheathed her sabre and had its gleaming, sharp end pointing at his throat.

More out of panic than anything else, Roy yelped and he _did_ end up snapping his fingers in an effort to defend himself but even as the flames ignited in the air, Olivier just smirked and used her sabre to slash them all away. As soon as the fire had cleared, leaving nothing but smoke in their wake, Roy found himself, once again, with a sharp end of a pointed sword scraping painfully at his neck.

His eyes widened and he stood up from his seat slowly, raising his hands up in surrender.

“Like I said—” Roy let his voice trail off and he gulped, giving her a nervous smile. “—I was just leaving.”

When Olivier scoffed and re-sheathed her sabre back into its holster, Roy cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the carnations he had brought and scowled as he bent down, snatched his folders back up and then taking the white bouquet of flowers back.

“Maybe just the yellow carnations for you then.” He grumbled under his breath.

“Great, just leave them there on my desk.” Olivier smirked knowingly at him, causing Roy’s eyes to narrow as he watched her settle back into her chair and cross her legs.

“I’ll be sure to look at them and remember my particular _disdain_ for you, Mustang.”

Roy’s eyes widened when he realized that she knew exactly what the flowers had meant.

Before Olivier could say anything else, he shot the blonde General another miffed, indignant glare before he scowled and stalked out of the room.

* * *

 

Roy glowered to himself as he stormed down the corridor leading back to his office, unknowingly scaring the few lower-ranking soldiers whom he passed when they caught sight of the murderous expression on the Flame Alchemist’s face. 

As he turned a sharp corner, he caught sight of an innocent looking Sheska making her way back to the archives building with a large piece of bread caught in her mouth. When she saw him, Roy froze mid-stride and absentmindedly stalked over to her, shoving the white bouquet of carnations he held into her hands.

“Here. Take these.” He grunted, inadvertently causing the brown-haired archivist’s face to flush a deep, dark red.

Sheska stammered as she took the carnations from him, the bread in her mouth dropping listlessly to the floor.

“G—General? Thank you but I don’t think—“

“Don’t thank me.” Roy cut her off impatiently, waving her nervous stammers away.

“They’re from Sergeant Major Fuery. He thinks you’re very pretty, you should ask him out.” He didn’t bother waiting for the blushing archivist to answer as he walked around her fidgeting form and continued making his way down the corridor towards his office.

When he got there, Roy didn’t bother hiding his anger as he stormed noisily into the large room, slamming the door shut noisily behind him and causing the rest of his crew to look up from their desks in surprise at his dramatic entrance. Fuery and Falman, who were both seated at the far end of the room, both noticed the irate expression on the General’s face and immediately glanced back down but the rest of Roy’s crew stared curiously at him, obviously curious as to what had set their Commanding Officer off this time.

“Chief! You’re back!” Havoc called out to him from where he had tilted his chair back and was resting his feet up on his desk. He brought the stick of cigarette he held between his fingers up to his lips and took a long whiff. “Hey, would you happen to know a good restaurant to take a woman out for an _‘I’m sorry’_ date?” He asked.

“Truth’s _sake,_ man! You had _another_ fight with that girlfriend of yours?” Breda blurted out from the desk beside his, glancing over his shoulder to give Jean a disapproving glare. “I’m telling you, that woman is _evil!_ Break up with her already while you still can!” He quipped.

Roy ignored their antics as he stormed into the middle of the office and stopped in front of Hawkeye’s desk, scowling petulantly at her and causing the blonde woman to pause in the middle of her phone conversation so that she could slowly lift her gaze to meet his.

“Sir?”

“Olivier Armstrong is nothing but a big, mean _bully!_ ” His angry voice had cracked just a bit when he spoke, and judging from the way Havoc and Breda snickered behind him, he knew they had noticed it.

To his dismay, Hawkeye looked more than a little irritated at his outburst as she turned back to the phone and politely excused herself from her conversation. Then, after she had hung up, she closed her eyes, counted to three, took a deep inhale of breath, then let out a long suffering sigh.

She finally turned back around and gave him a patient, expectant look.

“Exactly what did she do _this_ time, Sir?” Hawkeye asked patiently.

“She won’t give me back my protégé!” Roy blurted out; shrinking back at the patronizing look she was giving him.

When Hawkeye’s only response was to blink and raise an eyebrow at him, he scowled again and pointed accusingly at both her and Havoc.

“Don’t look at me like that, this is _your_ fault, you know. _Both_ of you!” He growled, causing Havoc to wince and give him a sheepish smile. “None of this would have happened if you had just brought Ed back with you like I ordered you to!”

“Hey, it wasn’t our fault!” Havoc protested and in his panic, his cigarette slipped from his mouth and fell to his table. “General Armstrong arrived and all but _kicked_ us out of the room! That woman is _terrifying,_ Sir! What were we supposed to do?” He pointed out.

“Oh I don’t know, you could have… _fought_ back?” Roy retorted sarcastically.

“Would _you_ have fought back against Olivier Armstrong?” Havoc challenged.

At Roy’s begrudgingly silent response, Havoc leaned back against his seat and smirked smugly at him. Beside his desk, Breda and Falman also looked as though they were trying to stifle their smiles behind their hand.

“Ugh. You’re all just…everyone get back to work!” Roy barked huffily at them.

Before Havoc could say anything else, he handed the folders he held back to Hawkeye and whirled around, sauntering back into his office. He was just about to slam the door back shut when Hawkeye called out to him again, causing Roy to grumble in annoyance and peek his head back out to glance at her.

“What is it?” He snapped.

“Sir, don’t forget. We still have to recruit a State Alchemist into the team.”

“Weren’t you listening, Major? I just _said_ that Ed’s out! Armstrong won’t let her go.” He growled impatiently.

“Sir, if I may.” The clear annoyance in Hawkeye’s voice was carefully controlled as she sighed again and gave him an exasperated look. “I should point out, _again,_ that Ed is _not_ the only State Alchemist in Amestris.” She told him, gesturing to the folders on her desk.

“Fine.” Roy grouched, eyeing the folders in obvious distaste. “Go through those, interview them, and find me the best one. Afterwards, schedule an interview with me. Use the same qualifications.” He instructed.

Hawkeye stared back at him in disbelief and sighed, shaking her head. “Sir, Ed is the _only_ one who fits those qualifications! You set a really high standard for the written exam score, remember?!” She protested.

“Then you’ll just have to find me another one just as good then don’t you, Major?” Roy snapped back irritably, ignoring the incredulous look she gave him as he turned around and walked back into his office. He didn’t bother waiting for Hawkeye’s answer before he finally yanked the door shut.

As soon as he was engulfed in the darkness of his office, Roy’s hand automatically reached for the light switch and flicked it on; breathing a sigh of relief a few seconds later as soon as the bright white light illuminated his empty office. Turning around, his gaze flicked instinctively to the mirror on the wall adjacent to his door and he froze, staring intently at his own reflection.

His own narrowed onyx eyes stared back at him and Roy thought to himself, for perhaps the thousandth time since the Promised Day, how _thankful_ he was that he wasn’t blind anymore. In a surprising turn of events, Dr. Marcoh had used the last of his remaining philosopher’s stone and had given him back his eyesight, as well as given Havoc back the use of his legs.

Despite the fact that everything had worked out, however, the events that had transpired during the Promised Day had still traumatized Roy in more ways than one. He could barely wake up in the morning now without frantically snapping his eyes open and checking to make sure that he still had his vision.

Truth be told, he had only been blind for a few days – a few days of infinite blackness where he had nothing but the sound of his own shallow breathing to comfort him - but those days had burned themselves into his memory so much that he had actually developed an irrational fear of the dark.

He hadn’t told anybody about it, not even Riza or Jean, because frankly, it was _humiliating._

 _And just how attractive is that? A Flame Alchemist and Brigadier General, terrified of the dark._ Roy scoffed to himself before he strode over to his desk, sinking down into his chair with a loud, exhausted sigh.

Reaching for his pen, he was just about to get started on his paperwork for the day when he heard a soft knock on his door, causing Roy to look up again just in time to see Hawkeye pop her head into the room.

“Sir? I have a Sofia on the phone for you. She’s asking if you’re free to have dinner tonight.”

Roy blinked and gave her a blank look.

“Who’s Sofia again?”

Hawkeye sighed and reached up to massage the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

“The woman you went to dinner with last night, Sir.”

“Oh right.” Roy fought the urge to make a face at that and promptly turned back to his paperwork, raising a hand and shooing her away. “Why don’t you just go ahead and make up something for me, Major.” He told her.

“General.” Hawkeye’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she stepped further into his room. She gave him a warning glare and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t quite recall _lying_ as being part of my job description—“

“ _Pleeease!”_ Roy whined loudly, looking up from his desk again and giving her an imploring look.

“Tell her I’ll be busy for the next three months or something! Or that I’m being transferred down to South HQ! Just…tell her _anything_ to put her off. She drove me _crazy_ last night!” He groaned.

To his relief, the annoyed expression on Hawkeye’s face finally melted away into an amused smirk. Her lips twitched at his dramatic reaction and she rolled her eyes at him, giving him a sympathetic look.

“Was she that dull?” She asked.

“ _Worse.”_ Roy answered, wincing. “She was _stupid._ You know how much I _hate_ dating stupid women.” He shuddered. “There’s nothing worse than being with a woman with nothing between the ears.”

“ _Riiight._ ” Hawkeye obliged him with another knowing smirk and rolled her eyes fondly at him before she turned and exited the room again, leaving Roy alone with his thoughts once more.

As soon as she was gone and his attention became preoccupied with the stacks of documents on his desk, Roy soon found his mind wandering.

Once again, he found himself thinking about his failed, short-lived relationship with Riza and much he was grateful that the initial uneasiness and awkwardness around them following their breakup was finally beginning to slip away. Granted, he knew that they still tiptoed carefully around each other when no one else was around, mostly to avoid saying anything uncomfortable, but at least the anger and tension from before were gone. Now, it was mostly just them trying to fall back into the old working relationship they had _before_ they had started dating.

It wasn’t easy at first, especially considering how terrifyingly fast their relationship had started _and_ ended.

After six months of awkward dating and them struggling to get past that unforgiving threshold between friendship and love, everything had just gone to hell.

Roy was willing to admit that it was mostly his fault.

He had just been newly promoted to Brigadier General at that time, and with him struggling to adjust to all of his new responsibilities and with how Edeline leaving had severely handicapped the crew, forcing Mustang to handle all alchemy-related matters his team had to deal with on his own, he just became too _busy_ for a relationship.

It certainly didn’t help that Riza was just as much of a workaholic as he was.

Many times during the earlier stages of their relationship, while they were in the middle of a dinner date or a romantic night out, Roy would suddenly think of something work-related and before he could stop himself, he would start asking Riza questions about it. And, of course, being the highly competent and invaluable subordinate that she was, she would automatically answer.

Looking back, it was rather _appalling,_ really, how they found it so needlessly difficult to separate their work from the romantic part of their relationship.

The day he saw her crying was the day they broke up, and Roy _hated_ himself with a vengeance.

He had never wanted to hurt her.

Riza had always been someone very dear to him, and as far back as Roy could remember, he had always cared very deeply about her, especially after her father entrusted her wellbeing to him before he died.

But he just didn’t _love_ her that way.

Roy thought about how much easier it all could have been if he had just fallen in love with her like he was probably supposed to, or how their lives would have been much simpler if neither of them had chosen to stay in the military but sadly, he knew that nothing was ever really meant to be that easy.

With a heavy sigh, he set his pen down briefly onto his desk and frowned as he thought again about what had happened the night he and Riza broke up.

Roy had just come from a meeting with the Fuhrer and a few Generals that evening when he remembered that he was supposed to meet her for dinner. When he got to the restaurant, however, and he saw her sitting across from him, noting the way she was barely able to reign in her tears, he knew instantly that it was over.

They both left the restaurant alone and Roy spent the rest of the night drowning himself with scotch in his house, desperate to wash away the bitter aftertaste that lingered in his mouth.

And then, when he was sufficiently drunk enough, Roy did something even more stupid.

He picked up his phone and called Edeline’s house in Resembool.

At the time, it had barely been a year since she had left his team but Roy was ashamed to admit that she occupied his thoughts more often than what would probably be considered healthy, especially after she had kissed him that day she left. He didn’t even remember what he had been thinking about that night, he just had this sudden, _insane_ desire to hear her voice, and so, drunkenly, he dialed.

It took three rings before Alphonse picked up the phone but when Roy asked, or rather _slurred,_ if he could talk to his sister, Alphonse sounded surprised and told him that Edeline was in Xing. Then, after Alphonse promised to let his sister know that Roy had called for her, he slurred a quick ‘thank you’ to the young alchemist and slowly hung up the phone.

He was disappointed but he supposed that not being able to talk to her was probably a _good_ thing. Truth only knows what he would have ended up saying if Edeline had been the one to pick up the phone.

That following morning, however, after Roy had woken up to a massive hangover and he was readying himself to trudge to the office with his uniform unkempt and his jaw unshaven, his phone rang and the obnoxiously loud voice that greeted him when he answered it was one that he hadn’t spoken to in almost a year.

* * *

**Flashback**

_‘Good morning, Colonel Bastard!’_

“Fullmetal? Is that you?” Roy blinked and began to smile in spite of himself, ignoring his throbbing headache as he sat back down onto the couch in front of his fireplace. “I wasn’t expecting to talk to you this morning.”

 _‘Well what did you expect, you idiot? Al contacted me and told me you called last night.’_ Came her blunt, cheeky reply. _‘I’m sorry I forgot to tell you but I’m actually in Xing right now. In fact, I think I’ll be here for awhile.’_

“In Xing?” Roy frowned at that as he leaned back against his couch and raised a hand to his jaw, absentmindedly running his fingers over his morning stubble. “What exactly are you doing in Xing, Ed?” He asked.

 _‘I’m learning about alkahestry, obviously.’_ Edeline answered, and though Roy couldn’t see her, he knew she was rolling her eyes. _‘Ling invited me. I’m actually staying with him now at the palace. Oh, by the way! The cuisine here is fucking awesome! Ling’s been taking me to a lot of these really amazing restaurants—‘_

“Ling?” Roy asked again, trying desperately to keep up with the conversation despite the way his head was spinning.

_‘Yeah, Ling. You remember him right? That annoying, Xingese idiot who was with me when I was swallowed by Gluttony. Ugh, that was a fucking disgusting experience by the way. I never want to do that ever again.’_

Roy was about to answer when he heard another, slightly muffled male voice over the other line, inadvertently causing his hand to tighten around the receiver. He frowned, listening intently to the sound of Edeline cursing and arguing loudly with the other male for a few seconds before she resumed their conversation.

_‘Sorry about that, that was Ling. He was being an annoying pervert again. Anyway, as I was saying, the food here is really good. You should think about visiting sometime.’_

“Yeah no thanks, Fullmetal.” Roy answered snippily, trying in vain to ignore the unfamiliar sting of jealousy that was strangely nagging his chest at her words. “I don’t have time to travel right now, I’m very busy.” He told her.

_‘Suit yourself. Oh yeah, before I forget!’_

Roy heard the teasing smile in her voice as she spoke her next words.

_‘Happy birthday!’_

Despite the throbbing migraine that was threatening to split his head into two, a warm, genuine smile began to form slowly on Roy’s face.

“You remembered.”

 _‘Of course I did!’_ Ed huffed, sounding annoyed. _‘I even have it marked on my calendar. Do you really think I’d miss an opportunity to make fun of how old you are?’_ She quipped.

Roy rolled his eyes to himself at that but the smile on his face remained as he closed his eyes and fell back against his couch, contenting himself with the sound of her energetic voice.

_‘Just how old are you anyway, old man?’_

“I’m not an old man, Ed. I’m only 32.”

_‘Holy shit, you’re ancient!’_

“Shut up.” Roy’s left eye twitched in mild annoyance when he heard her exaggerated gasp. “You can make fun of me all you want but remember. You’ll reach my age someday, and then I’ll be calling _you_ ancient.” He teased.

 _‘Yeah but then again, you’d be 47 by then so in return, I can still make fun of you for being even more ancient. You’d be like…an ancient fossil.’_ She retorted.

“Shut up.”

Roy began chuckling when he heard her laughter on the other end of the line, and there was a warm, strangely fuzzy feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach.

“Sassy brat.”

_‘You know it.’_

He heard the same male voice speaking to her again in the background and Roy listened as Ed answered, her voice a barely audible murmur, before she came back and spoke up in an apologetic tone.

“ _Anyway, listen. I have to go.’_

“Was that Ling again?” Roy found himself asking before he could even think about his reaction.

_‘Yeah, he wants to introduce me to some of his half-brothers and sisters.’_

“I see.” Roy answered, and he was dismayed when he realized that he didn’t want her to hang up just yet. “Please send him my regards.” He managed to force out in a polite voice.

 _‘Will do. Anyway, thanks for calling, Colonel Bastard. Say hi to Hawkeye and the others for me.”_

Roy debated briefly with himself on whether or not he should correct her and tell her his new rank but he eventually decided against it. His rank wouldn’t matter to Edeline anyway; she would still call him a bastard.

“I will. Oh, and Fullmetal?”

There was another brief pause on the other line before he heard Ed’s voice speak up again.

_‘Yeah?’_

Roy’s fingers tightened slowly around the phone in his hand.

“Thanks for remembering.”

 

**End Flashback**

* * *

 

There were too many questions that his telephone conversation with Edeline had left unanswered in his head.

Roy had never exactly been a jealous man before – not even with Riza. He had always thought of jealousy as a petty and immature emotion, certainly one that had no place in someone as confident and self-assured about himself as he was. In fact, most other men were usually jealous of _him,_ and he remembered how he often made fun of people like Breda and Havoc whenever they were having one of their little jealous episodes.

So why exactly was he jealous _now_?

He and Edeline had never even been in a relationship.

All that had really happened between them was that brief kiss she had sprung on him before she left, and even then, it had been probably just been some silly little experiment for her. Roy seriously doubted that she meant anything serious by it, and at that time, he had even been with _Riza_ for Truth’s sake. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, barely even a _day_ after he and Riza had broken up, and he was already more concerned about his jealousy over the fact that his former subordinate was spending a lot of time in another country with another man.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

Roy paused in the middle of affixing his signature on yet another hastily skimmed document and groaned, leaning back against his seat and using a hand to massage the bridge of his nose.

In the months that followed after his breakup with Riza, he dated a few more women every now and then, but none of them really lasted long. A lot of them he had met in bars whenever Havoc and Breda invited him for a few drinks after work, but they were never anything serious – most never even made it past one dinner date.

Though he _did_ bring some of them home with him, particularly on those nights when he was feeling lonely, sadly, it never really helped. When Roy woke up the morning after with someone in his bed, he usually felt even more alone than ever.

“Sir?”

At the unexpected interruption, Roy reluctantly set his pen back down onto the table.

“Yes, Major?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong is here to see you.”

Roy tried not to groan as he grimaced and massaged his temples.

“Let him in.”

He didn’t have to wait long before the huge, hulking frame of none other than Alex Louis Armstrong entered his office, immediately causing Roy to blink and grimace when he saw that the other man, _as usual,_ wasn’t wearing a shirt and was flaunting his gigantically muscular body for the whole world to see.

“ _Really,_ Alex.” Roy greeted the other man sarcastically as he watched him take the seat across from his.

“Is it too much to ask you to wear a shirt every now and then?” He pointed out.

“Oh. Sorry about that.” Alex had the temerity to look a little embarrassed as he glanced down at his bursting pectorals. “I hadn’t realized I wasn’t wearing one, I had just come from the training room.” He admitted.

Roy fought the urge to roll his eyes but raised a curious eyebrow when Alex just gave him an overly ecstatic smile. He reached a large hand out and placed a white, intricately designed envelope on Roy’s desk.

“I just dropped by to give you and your crew your invitations to my wedding.” He announced happily, waiting until Roy reluctantly opened the envelope and read through its contents. “It’ll be held in our family’s estate.”

“If I didn’t say it before, I’ll say it again.” Roy told him as he read the event details printed on the invitation. “You have my sincerest congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel. She’s a very lucky lady.”

“That she is.” Alex agreed proudly, puffing his chest up and flexing his muscles in his excitement. “She’s marrying an Armstrong, after all. Which reminds me.” He slanted his gaze and deliberately gave Roy a pointed look. “I’d like to see _you_ settled down yourself, Mustang. I mean, neither of us is getting any younger, you realize.”

“Yeah great. Thanks for that.” Roy drawled sarcastically, shaking his head in disbelief as he set the invitation aside. “Maybe you should lay off me and focus your attention on getting your older sister a boyfriend for a change. That way, she’ll stop making my life miserable.” Roy grumbled under his breath.

Alex gave him a mildly curious look at that and Roy sighed loudly, giving the other alchemist a helpless smirk.

“How’s Olivier enjoying her first day back in Central?”

“She misses Briggs but she was happy to take the position.” Alex shrugged nonchalantly at him. “Her team is complete and they’ll be reporting in to her the first thing tomorrow morning.” He told him.

“She took my precious protégé away from me.” Roy grumbled under his breath.

“Fullmetal?” Alex looked genuinely surprised at that. “I thought she couldn’t do alchemy anymore.” He mused.

“I thought so too but Olivier doesn’t seem to care and conscripted her anyway.”

“Ah well.” To his annoyance, Alex just shrugged and smiled at him, his blue eyes alight with warmth. “In any case, it’ll be good to have Edeline back here in Central with us at least. She was always such a sweet girl.”

“A _sweet_ girl?” Roy coughed and blinked rapidly a couple of times, staring at the larger man as though he had sprouted an extra limb. “We _are_ talking about the same Elric sibling here, right? The _older_ one? The one with the horrible potty mouth and fiery temper? You might be thinking of Alphonse there, Lieutenant Colonel.” He smirked, calling to mind all of the interesting curse names that Edeline used to call him back then – her favorites being _Colonel Bastard, Colonel Asshole, Colonel Useless, and Colonel Shit-head._

 _At least she bothers including my rank in her insults._ Roy thought wryly to himself.

He swore that girl cursed so much that one of these days; he was definitely going to wash her mouth out with soap and water.

“Well, personally, _I_ always found her sweet.” Alex shrugged and smiled knowingly at him again.

There was another soft knock on the door that suddenly drew their attention, halting the rest of their conversation. A few seconds later, Roy heard Hawkeye’s familiar voice calling out to him from outside his office.

“Sir?”

“What is it now, Hawkeye?”

There was a brief pause on the other side of the door for a moment before Hawkeye spoke again, causing Roy’s eyebrows to shoot up when he heard the obvious amusement in her voice.

“Ed is here to see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And of course, every story from me will always have a cliffhanger. ;)
> 
> I don’t know why, but in my headcanon, I can totally imagine Roy developing this irrational fear of the dark after he was blind for a couple of days. And come on admit it, the idea of Roy being afraid of the dark is adorable. ;)
> 
> Ed’s POV in the next chapter. It’ll probably include a bit more flashbacks, and maybe some background on what happened between her and Ling. I love Ling by the way, he’s so cute! If I didn’t want Roy and fem Ed to be together so much, I’d ship her with Ling. ;)


	6. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Maes likes ice cream, Roy hates vanilla, and Ed forgets about her alchemy exam.

 

The first thing Edeline did when she arrived back in Central that morning was to head to the nearest payphone. 

She called Alphonse first, letting her brother know that _yes,_ she had arrived safely, _yes,_ she didn’t forget her meals while she was studying, and _no,_ she most certainly did not blow the train up. The next person she called was their teacher, _Izumi-Sensei_. Ed would never admit to anyone that she was trembling with fear in that little payphone as she told Sensei that she had, once again, re-enlisted into the military. Sensei had _exploded_ at her, cursing her and calling her names, until she realized ten minutes later that the pot roast was burning and so she hung up – but not without warning Ed not to forget to visit her so she could give her the proper thrashing she deserved.

The _last_ person that she called that morning was _Ling._

Despite the fact that he and Edeline had broken up and everyone else around them seemed to think that they hated each other, they were actually still very close friends. He was surprised when she told him that she had gone back to the military but he wished her well and told her that he would try to visit her as soon as he could.

They said their goodbyes and then afterwards, Ed hung up and hauled herself over to the military dorms near HQ to drop off her luggage and get settled into her new room. To her surprise, with her new rank, she was allocated a slightly larger living space than three years ago when she and Al used to share a room, although the thought did depress Ed a little bit when she realized that she didn’t need all that extra space since Al wasn’t with her anyway.

After she finished setting her things up, she took a quick shower and changed into more comfortable clothing. Afterwards, she tied her blonde hair up into a messy bun at the top of her head and took off, heading across the dorms into a nearby grocery store to purchase two small pints of _non-dairy_ vanilla ice cream.

She felt the lingering stares of the other soldiers, mostly male, following her as she crossed the military compound towards the memorial cemetery. Despite her irritation, Ed forced herself to ignore most of them, knowing that it wouldn’t do well for her to have a disciplinary case already when it was only her first day back.

When she got to the cemetery, it didn’t take long for her to find the grave that she was looking for. As she plopped down on the soft grass in front of it and stared quietly at the familiar name engraved on the tombstone, Edeline found herself reeling back, as always, by that familiar, throbbing ache in her chest.

**Brigadier General Maes Hughes**

**1885 – 1914**

“Long time no see, old man.” Edeline forced out a cheerful smile, swallowing the painful lump that had formed in her throat. “Yeah, I know you probably didn’t expect to see me in Central again so soon but hey, what can I say? I guess I just couldn’t stay away.” She paused to set down one of the two pints of ice cream in front of her before she opened the other one and leaned back, settling herself into a cross-legged position on the grass.

“Anyway, I lost our bet. I made Lieutenant Colonel before I reached your age. Just like you said I would. So I brought you your favorite flavor even though I still think it’s absolute _shit._ ” She rolled her eyes as she brought a spoonful of the vanilla ice cream to her lips.

When she was met with nothing but silence, however, the smile on Ed’s face faded and she sighed softly.

“It’s not fair that you’re not here.”

She lay back down until her back was pressed flat against the grass and frowned, staring up at the cloudy sky above her in contemplative silence.

“I could really use your words of wisdom right about now.”

Edeline didn’t speak for a long time after that, content with just staring blankly into nothing for a good few minutes before she closed her eyes and smiled sadly, bringing another spoonful of the vanilla ice cream to her lips.

* * *

 

 **Flashback**

Even though Edeline was only 15 years old, every sane person in the Amestris Military knew that the Fullmetal Alchemist was a demonic _force_ to be reckoned with when she was in the middle of her temper tantrums.

Unfortunately, the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang, was most definitely _not_ a sane person by any standard, and being Fullmetal’s Commanding Officer, Mustang often took it upon himself remind her every now and then that being the youngest ever State Alchemist and an indispensable member of Mustang’s team does _not_ equate to having the license to do whatever the hell she wanted.

“There were _hundreds_ of civilians out in the city that day, Fullmetal! Do you have _any_ idea at all the risk and danger that you put all those innocent people through just because you couldn’t control your temper?!”

Mustang’s angry voice was reverberating so loudly against the walls of his office that it was impossible for Hawkeye and the rest of his team outside not to hear him. He didn’t seem to care, however, and slammed his fist noisily against his table, glaring heatedly at the blonde teenager seated in front of him.

“There’s only so much of your mess that I can clean up, Ed! What if someone had gotten hurt?! Or _killed?!_ What if _you_ had gotten yourself killed, Edeline?! What then?!” Roy shouted furiously, his right hand shaking and clenched into a tight fist.

“Scar was right _there,_ you realize! I _had_ him cornered before your useless self decided to show up—“

“ _HE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!”_

 _“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU WANT ME TO DO?! LET HIM PRANCE OFF ALONG HIS MERRY WAY UNTIL THE NEXT TIME HE KILLS OFF ANOTHER ONE OF OUR FUCKING ALCHEMISTS?!”_ Ed screamed back.

“Ed.” Mustang closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in a visible effort to calm himself down. “I am telling you this because I am your Commanding Officer, and because I’m your _friend._ You are a fifteen-year-old _girl._ You’re _not_ indestructible. Believe it or not when I say that Scar _would_ have killed _both_ you and Al that day—“

“I can handle myself just fine, you useless bastard! Is that all you called me back here for?! I don’t have time for your shit! I was following a lead! I won’t get my brother’s body back wasting my time here talking to you—“

“You endangered the lives of innocent civilians, and you put yourself _and_ your brother at risk and you think there won’t be repercussions?!” Roy shouted again, giving her an incredulous glare. “This is the military, Edeline! It means you’re supposed to be following _orders!_ And your orders were certainly _not_ to go after Scar that day—“

“I fucking _told_ you—!”

“You’re irresponsible, you’re stubborn, you’re immature, and worst of all, you’re _selfish!_ You have absolutely _no_ understanding of the consequences of your actions or how many people are inconvenienced by your recklessness! Do you even _know_ how many Generals I had hounding me all damn _week_ about how they want me to have you court martialed for what happened?! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to convince them to let you go?! They’re blaming _me_ for your insubordination! They think I’m being too easy on you!”

“I don’t give a fuck what those assholes think of me! They don’t control me and neither do you, Mustang!“ Ed seethed, slamming her automail fist down against his table.

“I can’t keep covering for you forever! Sooner or later, you _will_ have to learn to follow orders and just goddamn _trust_ me! Otherwise, why the hell are you even a part of my team?! Why are you even here?!”

Ed recognized the severe disappointment in Mustang’s voice for what it was and finally fell silent, her humiliated glare fixed on the floor by her feet. When she still refused to say anything despite the expectant glare he was giving her, he let out a heavy, exasperated sigh and rubbed a hand wearily over his face.

“You’re suspended from all field work until further notice.”

_“WHAT THE FUCK?!”_

“You’re _grounded_.” Roy said flatly.

“ _YOU CAN’T GROUND ME! NOT WHEN I’M SO FUCKING CLOSE TO FINDING A PHILOSOPHER’S STONE!”_

“I’m sorry, did I stutter? Then let me say it again.” Mustang grabbed a folder and began doing his paperwork, ignoring the blonde girl hissing in front of him. “You, Fullmetal Alchemist, are hereby suspended from _all_ fieldwork until further notice. You are not to go out of this compound without _my_ clearance or without another officer of my team escorting you. Have I made myself clear on that?”

“ _YOU STUPID, USELESS BASTARD! I FUCKING HATE YOUR GUTS!”_

Ed didn’t bother waiting for his reaction as she stood up and stormed out of the room, shoving past a bewildered Hawkeye, who was on her way into Mustang’s office. Judging from the way Havoc and Breda hastily turned back to their paperwork when she walked past them, Ed was willing to bet that the rest of the team had been listening in on their conversation as well but she couldn’t find it in herself to care as she stomped towards the door.

“ _FULLMETAL, DON’T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER! COME BACK HERE! I’M NOT FINISHED TALKING TO YOU JUST YET—“_

Ed didn’t hear the rest of his Mustang’s furious shouts, nor did she bother looking back at the rest of the team’s shocked reactions behind her as she sneered and made sure to slam the doors as hard as she could.

In the days that followed after Ed’s disastrous shouting match with Mustang, Ed and Al decided to make the most out of their time by holing themselves up in the library and reading up about the philosopher’s stone as much as they could. Truth be told, however, during most of those days in the library, after weeks of hitting so many dead-ends and roadblocks in their research, Ed had managed to dig herself into a pretty foul mood.

At the time, Ed had felt so helpless, and useless, and _pathetic_ because she was seriously beginning to doubt if she could ever truly recover Al’s body and she felt _guilty_ because Al deserved so much better than her stupid empty promises. It was her fault that her little brother had lost his body and currently had his soul bound to a suit of armor, and while she assured him over and over again that she would set things right, there was only so much willpower that Ed could force herself to have without her ever seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Fortunately, Winry was visiting them that week and so when she had asked them to go shopping with her for some new automail parts, Al had agreed to go with her while Ed had bluntly reminded them that she wasn’t allowed out of the compound without Mustang’s permission. Though to be honest, Ed was actually thankful that they had left her alone as it gave her the opportunity to drown herself in her depressing thoughts.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t realized just how exhausted she actually was because within an hour after Winry and Al had left the library, Ed had already fallen asleep on her chair, a thick, leatherbound alchemy book covering her face.

That was the position that Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes claimed to have found her in, and when she woke up a few hours later, it was to the sight of Maes giving her an amused look from where he sat in Al’s vacated chair.

When she glared at him, as though daring him to say anything, Maes just gave her a sympathetic smile.

“I heard you and your idiot CO had a big fight the other day.” He mused.

“Who the fuck told you that?” Ed growled at him.

“No, what I meant was, I _literally_ heard you. All the way from my office.” Maes quipped wryly.

She snorted at his words and turned her face away, folding her arms on the table and stifling her yawn in them.

“Go away .”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Roy quite so worked up before.” Maes commented with a smirk, chuckling to himself. “That’s why you’re stuck here, aren’t you? He won’t let you out of the compound?”

Ed closed her eyes again and let out a long, muffled groan.

“What the hell do you _want,_ old man?”

“It helps to talk about it to someone else, you know.” Maes said innocently as he leaned down and poked insistently at her blonde head. “How about it? I promise I won’t even take his side. You can curse at him and call him as many names as you want, I won’t stop you.” When Ed looked up at that and gave him an incredulous, sleepy glare, he grinned.

“Hell, I might even join in. I have a few creative names for him, myself.” He quipped, finally earning a reluctant smile from Ed as she rolled her eyes at him and straightened back up in her seat, brushing her hair away from her face.

When she saw the expectant look that lingered on Maes’ face, Ed let out another exhausted sigh.

“I don’t know if I should be wasting time when I should be reading up on—“

“You know.” Maes interrupted as he pushed his glasses up his nose and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against his seat. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a genius or what-not. If you keep reading and studying like this without taking any breaks, your brain will become so saturated that you won’t get anything done.” He told her pointedly.

“Yeah right.” Ed resisted another urge to snort at that and instead rolled her eyes at him in disbelief. “My awesome brain _always_ get shit done.”

“Come on. Let’s take a break.” Maes urged again, his eyes lighting up with good humor as he gave her a teasing grin. “We can go out for some ice cream. There’s this really nice place just walking distance from here.” He told her.

"Ice cream?! Isn't that dairy?" Ed gave him an indignant glare. "Are you trying to get me to drink milk?!"

"They have the non-dairy type of ice cream." Maes rolled his eyes at her reaction. 

“I don’t know if I should, Lieutenant Colonel.” Ed hesitated, reaching into her pocket and opening her silver watch to glance at the time. “It’s still office hours and the Colonel _did_ order me not to leave the compound without his permission or without any member of the team escorting me.”

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of Roy, I promise.” Maes grinned, waving her concern away as he stood and hoisted Ed up from her seat. “Besides, you’re with me anyway so technically, you’re not going against his orders.”

“But—“

“Don’t worry so much, Ed! Come on, come on! Ice cream!” He chirped giddily as he placed two heavy hands on her shoulders and led her excitedly out of the library. “Elicia just _loves_ that place, it has all kinds of ice cream flavors!”

“Ice cream, really?” Ed arched an annoyed eyebrow but she was unable to break free from Maes’ hold as he continued to shove her out of the building towards the entrance. “What do you think I am, Lieutenant Colonel, a _kid?_ ” She asked.

Maes paused just as he was reaching for the doorknob and turned around, giving her a good-humored smile.

“Well… _yeah."_

“Ugh, fine then.” Ed growled at that, grumbling as she followed him out of the building, pulling her red jacket tighter around her small frame when she was immediately hit with a blast of the cold breeze. “But _you’re_ paying.”

He soon led them down the street towards a small, brightly colored ice cream shop that was several blocks away from the Central HQ compound. When they entered the shop and Ed reluctantly trudged over to one of the booths at the very back with a scowl on her face, Maes waved cheerfully to the shop attendant and followed in after her.

After they finished choosing the specific flavor they wanted, Maes called the attendant again and he placed their orders. While waiting, Ed rested her chin glumly on her hand and inspected the shop with bored, half-closed golden eyes.

“This shop looks like it’s for little _kids,_ Lieutenant Colonel.” She complained, scowling irritably at him.

“It is, it is! I take Elicia here all the time!” Maes chirped as he reached into the back of his pants and pulled out his wallet. “Look, look! I even took several pictures of her sitting on that stool right over there, isn’t she adorable?!”

In spite of herself, Ed was unable to hide a smile as she stared at the picture Maes was holding up in his hand.

It was a picture of Elicia on what Ed guessed was probably her birthday, if the hat and brightly colored balloons the little girl was holding was any indication. Maes stood smiling brightly behind her, hugging her tiny form against him, and beside them, Maes’ beautiful wife Gracia was watching the two with a fond, exasperated smile on her face.

They were a lovely family, and despite how Mustang always complained about how Maes did nothing better than to show them all endless pictures of Gracia and Elicia, everyone found it adorable how Maes was such a devoted husband and loving father.

“She’s _beautiful._ ” Ed said softly, a small smile on her face as she handed the picture back to him.

As Maes grinned back at her and tucked the picture away, the strange, bitter thought lingering in her head suddenly spilled forth from Ed’s mouth before she could realize what it even meant.

“If only Al and I had a father like you growing up, we probably wouldn’t have become as messed up as we did.”

Maes stilled at that, his expression suddenly frozen in a look of shock at the raw, bitter honesty that was in Ed’s statement. When he looked at her again, Ed was surprised to see that his eyes had softened and he gave her a small smile.

Reaching across the booth, Maes chuckled, laid a hand on her blonde head, and gave her hair an affectionate ruffle.

“Don’t sell yourselves short, Ed—“

“ _WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING SHORT—“_

More than used to Ed’s violent reactions at this point, the Lieutenant Colonel went on as though he hadn’t heard her.

“—you’re both good kids, you know. You’re a great sister to Alphonse, he obviously cares very much about you. And you’re both talented, _brilliant_ alchemists.” He teased gently, pausing only when the shop attendant finally came back with their ice cream. After the attendant set the ice cream in front of them and left, Maes handed her a small spoon.

“I have no doubt that you’ll both be going places. Hell, if you decided to stay in the military, I’m even willing to bet that you’ll reach the rank of Colonel before Roy did.” He commented as he took a spoonful of his vanilla ice cream.

“Yeah, right.” Ed chuckled at that but reluctantly began digging into her own chocolate sundae. “Wasn’t that bastard promoted to Colonel when he was only 26? That’s a bit of a hard act to follow, Lieutenant Colonel. I don’t even plan on staying that long in the military anyway, you know. Only until we find a philosopher’s stone and Al gets his body back.”

“Then how about _my_ rank now?” Maes pointed out, giving her a mischievous grin. “I’ll bet you another order of vanilla ice cream that you’ll reach my current rank of Lieutenant Colonel long before you’re even my age.” He challenged.

Ed snorted at his words and rolled her eyes, amused at his tenacity. “I’ll take that bet.”

When Maes smiled at her again and happily began eating into his dessert, Ed’s gaze wandered idly over his shoulder to glance at the shop’s other customers. She felt a stab of annoyance when she saw a young teenage boy, about her age, who was sitting in the booth behind them. Every now and then, the boy would look up from his ice cream and stare intently at Ed in interest, only to blush darkly and hastily look away when she looked up and caught his gaze.

Maes noticed Ed’s annoyance and he followed her gaze, smirking when he saw the teenage boy staring at Ed again and laughing loudly to himself when he saw the way it obviously made Ed very uncomfortable.

“It’s _not_ funny! That annoying shit-head behind you won’t stop staring at me!” She hissed angrily at him.

“They’re just _boys,_ Ed. Nothing the Fullmetal Alchemist can’t handle.”

“They’re _dumb,_ and _stupid,_ and _useless!_ I want nothing to do with them.” Ed gritted through her clenched teeth.

“You know, most girls your age would be more interested in getting a boyfriend than a philosopher’s stone.” Maes teased, looking amused. “Relax, he probably just thinks you’re pretty and that’s why he’s staring. Boys do that.”

“It’s _disgusting_ and _annoying!_ I don’t _want_ a boyfriend, he’d be nothing but a useless, empty distraction! I can’t afford to waste my time on such things right now, I have to get Al’s body back.” Ed pointed out, scowling at her ice cream.

“Useless, huh? Why don’t you talk to me again _after_ you’ve had your first boyfriend, alright kid? We’ll see if you still think boys are useless.” Maes mused as he leaned back against his seat again and took another bite of his ice cream.

Ed was about to say something else in retaliation when she decided against it and instead, opted to just take another bite of her ice cream and grumble to herself in silence. Maes looked amused at her reaction and he looked as though he was going to comment when the shop attendant suddenly called their attention from the front of the room.

“Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes?” He called out loud.

“That’s me.” Maes answered as he raised his hand, drawing the man’s attention to him.

The man held up the telephone receiver he held in his hand.

“You have an urgent phone call, Sir.”

“Urgent my ass. That’s probably Roy.” Maes snorted to himself as he glanced over his shoulder and gave Ed a knowing look. “I’ll be right back, let me just go and see what your CO wants.”

“I told you the bastard would get mad.” Ed groaned as she slumped in her seat.

She waited for a few minutes as Maes talked to the Colonel over the phone. Fortunately, the shop was so small and Maes’ voice was so loud that Ed was able to hear snippets of what the Lieutenant Colonel was saying.

_“Hey man. Yeah she’s with me. What do you mean why? I just took her out for ice cream! I’ll bring her right back.”_

_“…well, you’re more than welcome to join us if you want.”_ Maes paused at that and turned to glance at Ed again, smirking at the way she was shaking her head frantically at him and waving her hands in panic.

 _“It’s no problem, we can wait for you. Yeah, it’s that same ice cream parlor that Elicia likes. Alright, will do. See you soon.”_ He hung up.

When he walked back over to their table, Ed had her arms crossed and was glaring furiously at him in betrayal.

“Oh come on, don’t give me that look.” Maes cajoled as he reached over and gave her hair another affectionate ruffle. “That idiot is just worried about you, you know. I know he means well, he’s been my best friend for years. You _are_ the youngest member of his team and he sees you as his responsibility. I mean, he recruited you after all.” He pointed out.

“He still treats me like I’m a 12-year-old kid! It’s _fucking_ getting on my nerves. He should know that I don’t need a goddamn parent! I haven’t needed one in years!” Ed snapped at him, her golden eyes flashing dangerously.

“Don’t be like that! You and Al should think of me and Roy as like…your work parents or something!” Maes ignored the incredulous stare that Ed gave him and grinned, shoving his glasses up his nose. “I can be the dad, of course, since I’m obviously the cool, fun one. So I guess that would make Roy the…nagging, overbearing mom?” He kidded.

“Th—that’s—“

Ed was unable to prevent her choked-up, horrified laughter at the ridiculous image his words created in her head.

Fortunately, before Maes could say anything else to make her keel over completely with laughter, they were interrupted when the doors to the shop swung open again and a tall, scowling Colonel Roy Mustang strode into the parlor. His gaze swept briefly around the parlor in search of them, but when his dark eyes landed on Ed, his gaze narrowed and he made his way over towards them, opting to slide into the seat beside her and across from Maes – much to her annoyance.

“So _this_ is where you two have been procrastinating all afternoon.” Mustang muttered irritably.

“Says the bastard who procastinates all day long in his own office!” Ed growled back at him.

“Shut up, Fullmetal. I’m still mad at you.” Mustang glared at her, his left eye twitching dangerously.

“I’m mad at _you,_ you stupid, pea-brained asshole!”

“Colonel!” Maes interrupted them sharply when he saw the way his best friend’s eyes went ablaze and the way Mustang looked as though he was just about ready to incinerate the sneering blonde teenager sitting beside him.

“Help me out. I was just trying to convince Ed here that she should try to live like a normal teenage girl for a change and maybe try finding a boyfriend. It should help relieve some of her stress from studying alchemy all the time.” He commented, obviously trying to divert their attention to another topic of conversation.

“Don’t go putting such stupid ideas in her head, idiot.” Roy suddenly snapped at him, causing Maes to jump slightly at the sharpness of his voice and stare at him in surprise. The Colonel’s dark eyes had suddenly gone hard and they were flashing dangerously as they settled on his best friend’s genuinely confused expression.

“Fullmetal is _way_ too young to be dating. And besides, she’s too busy and she doesn’t need that kind of distraction.”

“Like I need _you_ to tell me that, you useless ass.” Ed muttered darkly under her breath so that Roy wouldn’t hear.

Belatedly sensing, somehow, that he may have inadvertently upset his friend, Maes tried to diffuse the sudden tension between them. He gave Roy an awkward smile and sheepishly offered him the spoon in his hand.

“Vanilla?”

Roy made a face at the suggestion and scowled at him, waving his hand away.

“I hate vanilla.”

“Heeey, don’t be mean!”

As the two officers fell into their usual, easy banter after that and began to discuss the details of some obscure mission that Ed had no particular interest in, she hesitated and scowled down at the chocolate sundae in front of her. Fortunately, neither Maes nor Roy seemed to notice Edeline’s distraction and when she looked up at them again a few minutes later, she surprised them both when she grumbled crankily but reached out to offer Roy her spoon.

“Chocolate?”

Ed didn’t have to look up to know that Roy was taken back by her gesture – especially given the fact that she had pretty much been ignoring – or cursing – his very existence since their very public argument a few days ago – but to her relief, he didn’t comment on it. Instead, when Ed reluctantly lifted her golden eyes up to his, she was surprised to see that Roy’s expression had softened, and there was an affectionate warmth in his eyes as he took the spoon from her hand.

“I do _love_ chocolate.” He grinned playfully back at her, causing Ed to glare poisonously at him and hastily turn her face away so that he couldn’t see the embarrassed blush that was beginning to stain her pale cheeks.

 _“_ Creepy bastard and his creepy ass smile.” Ed mumbled irritably to herself, rolling her eyes as Mustang gave her another smile and shoved a particularly large scoop of her chocolate ice cream happily into his mouth.

Maes was glancing back and forth between them, a small, knowing smile beginning to form on his lips.

_“Hey! I didn’t say you could eat all of it, Colonel Bastard!”_

**End Flashback**

* * *

 

“Oh yeah. That reminds me.” Ed brought another spoonful of vanilla ice cream to her lips and glanced up at the sky, scowling to herself. “I guess you were right about boyfriends too, you know-it-all shit.” She grumbled bitterly.

“They weren’t as useless as I originally thought they were. Well, maybe not _entirely._ ”

Ed sighed as she remembered her first, albeit _failed,_ two-year relationship with Ling.

“He wasn’t bad for a first boyfriend, if I do say so myself. He’s a prince of Xing – well technically, I guess he’s the Emperor now but anyway, we dated for more than two years.” Ed continued, beginning to lose herself in her thoughts.

“He was a pretty great guy, though a bit of a hyperactive git. And he was always so annoyingly happy for no reason, that idiot. He did make me laugh a lot though, so I guess I kinda liked him. Anyway, we got together after the whole Promised Day fiasco, so he didn’t really count as a distraction anymore. Besides, we’ve been through so much shit together already that we kinda just grew close. I even stayed with him for awhile in Xing.”

She paused at that, her smile beginning to fade slowly until nothing but a pained expression lingered on her face.

“It didn’t work out though.”

The more Edeline tried to think about Ling, the more she realized that all of her wounds hadn’t quite finished healing just yet. Ling had been her first love, and the day before he was supposed to head back to Xing to claim the throne as his, he had kissed her and they ended up taking each other’s virginity. They were both young and in love, and everything had been such a whirlwind of so many different emotions that Ed had never experienced before, ranging from sickeningly sweet puppy love, sometimes lust, sometimes anger, and sometimes even heartbreak and before Ed could even analyze what had happened, it was over.

Suddenly reeling from the heavy onslaught of emotions that were beginning to cloud her thoughts and make her chest _ache_ painfully, Ed shook her head furiously and decided to change the topic of the conversation.

“I just wanted to drop by to let you know that I’ll be in Central for the next couple of months. Like I said, I’ve just been made Lieutenant Colonel. I don’t know exactly know why but Lieutenant General Armstrong asked me to re-enlist.”

As she imagined the response that Maes would have most likely have given her, Ed rolled her eyes and smirked. “I know, I _know_ I said I wouldn’t pursue a career in the military but this is different. This has something to do with your idiot best friend and protecting his ass so I _had_ to come back. He doesn’t know about it though, so let’s keep it between us.”

As she scooped the last bit of the ice cream into her mouth, Ed suddenly froze.

_Ah shit._

Belatedly realizing that she may have lost track of the time when she had gotten caught up in all of her musings, she winced and glanced nervously on the small watch around her wrist. She had to blink a couple of times to make sure she was reading her watch correctly but it finally sank in that she was nearly an _hour_ late to her qualification exam, Ed cursed loudly and jumped to her feet.

“HOLY FUCKING HELL!”

* * *

 

Lieutenant Faiga Welsh was sitting behind a large desk at the very front of the examination room that morning. She stared curiously at the large, group of examinees who were all scattered along the desks in front of her. 

She had been assigned to proctor the State Alchemist Qualification exam that year, and quite frankly, being a non-alchemist herself, she found the entire experience to be quite intriguing. They had an interestingly diverse batch taking the exam that month and, from what Faiga could see, they spanned a wide range of ages, from perhaps twenty all the way to maybe about fifty. Most of them, as far as she could tell, came from Central while some others, judging from their attires, must have hailed from slightly farther towns and had only come to Central that afternoon to take the exam.

The Amestris Military held the State Alchemist Qualification Exam every _quarter,_ with almost _thirty_ participants taking the test each time and only about three to five of them actually managing to pass and get accepted into the program. Forty hopefuls were taking the exam that afternoon but only _three_ would be accepted, depending on their score ranking.

From where she sat behind her table observing them, Faiga noticed that _none_ of the examinees seemed to have moved from their stiff sitting positions for the past hour but given how difficult the exam was rumored to be and the added pressure of having to get a high-ranking score, she really couldn’t blame them. In fact, it was only when the doors at the back of the room had suddenly burst open that everyone, including Faiga, looked up, gaping in shock at the sight of a young blonde woman, perhaps in her late teens, cursing loudly and rushing in panic towards the front of the room.

“Shit, shit, _shit!_ I am so sorry, Lieutenant! I forgot what time it was, I didn’t realize—“

“May I help you?” Faiga interrupted as she leaned forward and gave her a stern, disapproving glare.

“I sure hope so.” The blonde grumbled, staring blankly at her for a couple of seconds before her golden eyes took a quick scan across the room. “This _is_ the room for the qualification exam right?” She asked, wincing and lowering her voice to a soft whisper when one of the examinees sitting in front glared at her and shushed her in admonishment.

Faiga arched an eyebrow at her sheepish smile, unimpressed by her lack of professionalism.

“Yes, this _is_ the qualification exam but I’m afraid you are an _hour_ late.” She chastised, shaking her head in disapproval. “At this rate, you might not be able to finish the exam on time. I suggest you just come in during the next batch—“

“No, no, I can’t do that! Lieutenant General Armstrong will murder me in my sleep, I tell you!” The blonde girl protested, waving her hands around frantically. “Please just let me take the exam, I promise to finish before the 3 hour time limit is up, you won’t have to extend for me!”

“Lieutenant General Armstrong? Then that means—” Faiga blinked at her in confusion for a couple of seconds before realization finally kicked in and she stared, slack-jawed, at the fidgeting young blonde in front of her. “—y—you wouldn’t happen to be the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edeline Elric, now would you, Ma’am?” She stammered nervously.

“You’ve heard of me, huh?” The blonde girl gave her another sheepish smile and raised a hand to scratch at the back of her head. “Hey, listen. Do you think maybe we can keep this between us? Please don’t tell the Lieutenant General that I was late for my exam—“

“P—please have a seat, Ma’am! I’m so sorry for not recognizing you before!” Faiga suddenly rushed out in horror, blushing to the very roots of her hair as she scrambled to hand over the examination booklet and questionnaire.

“Great, thanks!” Elric gave her a wide, relieved grin as she took the questionnaire and booklet from her.

“Would you happen to have a pencil I could borrow?”

Faiga opened her mouth to answer but before she managed to say anything, one of the examinees sitting in the front of the room – a young, friendly-faced man with brown hair and bright blue eyes – cleared his throat to call their attention.

When Elric turned around to glance curiously at him, he gave her a friendly smlle and offered her a pencil.

“Thanks!”

Faiga could only watch as the blonde grinned at the man and gave him a sassy wink before she quickly sauntered over to the very back of the room, situating herself in one of the empty chairs by the corner.

As Faiga watched the young alchemist in avid fascination, she didn’t fail to notice how Elric didn’t start answering the exam right away. Instead, she stuck the pencil between her lips and raised both arms, tying her long blonde hair up into a knot onto the top of her head. After she was satisfied that her hair was being kept adequately away from her face, Elric stuck the pencil behind her ear, leaned back against her chair and began reading through the exam questionnaire.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Faiga continued to watch the blonde Fullmetal Alchemist, wondering dazedly to herself how in the world Elric expected to finish the exam in the short time she had left when she wasn’t even answering yet. Instead, it looked as though the young blonde was intent on reading the entire questionnaire first. Finally, after what seemed like a good fifteen minutes, Elric grabbed her pencil again, bent down to the desk and rapidly began filling up her exam booklet with mind-numbingly fast, bullet-like speed.

It took awhile for Faige to realize she was gaping, her jaw hanging open, as she watched the Fullmetal Alchemist writing and flipping through her exam booklet faster than everybody else in the room.

The unblinking, laser-like focus on the young blonde’s face was almost inhuman, and Faiga seriously doubted that she had ever seen anything like it before. The way her pencil scraped along her booklet was fast and continuous, pausing only when she was forced to flip to the next page because she had run out of space.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of Faiga just watching her, the young blonde finally slammed her booklet shut, slid the questionnaire into its pages and stood up, making her way back to the front of the room. When she walked up to Faiga and handed her back the booklet with a self-satisfied grin, Faiga just stared blankly at her.

“It’s a 3-hour exam, Ma’am.” She managed to choke out.

When Elric just blinked at her and gave her a confused look, Faiga decided to clarify.

“You still have 30 minutes left.” She told her.

“Oh, yeah. I know.” The confusion on the blonde’s face cleared and she flashed Faiga an embarrased smile.

“Sorry about that. I would have passed it in sooner but I had to go over the test questions and my answers at least twice. I didn’t want to submit it right away, that’d be stupid and reckless. Might have missed a number of something.” She mused ruefully, causing Faiga’s left eye to twitch at her words in stunned disbelief.

_She seriously finished a 3-hour long examination in less than half the time?_

“Anyway, thanks for the consideration, Lieutenant. I’ll be going now. Oh yeah, before I forget.“ She turned around and walked up to the brown-haired examinee again, smiling at him and placing his pencil back on his desk.

“Y—you’re done?” The brown-haired examinee croaked out as he looked up and blinked stupidly at her.

“Yeah, thanks for letting me borrow your pencil.”

She smirked at the disbelieving expression on his face before she strode through the doors, leaving Faiga, as well as all the other occupants in the examination room, gaping and staring after her back in stunned dismay.

* * *

 

When Edeline strode into Brigadier General Roy Mustang’s office that afternoon, she was immediately met with a chorus of warm greetings as the team all looked up from their desks and gave her wide, welcoming smiles. 

As usual, Breda and Jean were the first ones to react, followed closely by Fuery as he smiled shyly and waved at her from the back of the room. Falman was on the phone but when he recognized Ed, he grinned and waved at her, setting the receiver back down. Unfortunately, Ed didn’t see Hawkeye at her desk but before she could ask where she was, she was immediately bombarded with an onslaught of greetings and questions.

“Hey Boss! Is it really you?!”

“Great to see you, Ed!”

“Wow, Boss! You’re lookin’ pretty good!”

“You grew taller!”

_“WHY YOU—“_

Ed’s left eye twitched at Breda’s comment and on instinct, before she could even stop herself, her face grew red with anger and she lashed out at him with her claws out.

“ _I WAS ALWAYS TALL BEFORE, YOU ASSHOLE!”_

“That’s her, alright.” Havoc teased as he put his cigarette out and stood up, walking over to join the throng of people who had gathered around her. “So how was the qualifying exam this morning, boss?” He asked.

“Oh you know, same old shit.” Ed answered, grinning as she leaned against one of the tables behind her and crossed one ankle over the other.

“I was a little late actually. I thought I was going to miss it.” She admitted, cringing.

“They didn’t tell you what time it was going to start?” Falman asked.

“Oh no, they did. I just… _forgot._ ” Ed answered, scratching sheepishly at her neck.

Falman blinked and gave her an incredulous look at that, a disapproving frown on his face while Fuery, Breda and Havoc just grinned knowingly at her.

“What brings you here, Boss?” Fuery asked curiously.

“I just finished fitting my new uniform, actually.” Ed answered, making a face. “Apparently, I have to wear a fucking military uniform like some kind of… _normal_ person now.” She huffed, scowling and folding her arms across her bust.

As she did this, Ed noticed the way Breda’s eyes had inadvertently flicked down to her breasts for what felt like a split second before they immediately flicked back up again, flushing in embarrassment. Even Falman, who was probably the most gentlemanly of Mustang’s team, seemed to have trouble keeping his eyes on her face. On the other hand, after having already spent some time with her and Al in Resembool, Havoc didn’t even _bother_ trying to be discreet in his own staring as his eyes automatically dropped down and lingered longer than necessary on the spot above the scooped hem of Ed’s collar.

Ed rolled her eyes at Havoc’s pervertedness, smirking mischievously as she straightened and began to walk towards his desk. When he noticed that she was approaching him, however, he stiffened but Ed didn’t relent as she purposely bent down and leaned over, resting her elbows on his desk in such a way that it gave him a perfect view of her breasts.

When Havoc began sputtering incoherently, Ed grinned and peered teasingly at him through lowered eyelashes.

“Seriously, Havoc?” Ed smirked and leaned in closer so that her hot breath tickled his ear.

“You need to _stop_ staring and get yourself laid.” She purred, instantly causing him to blush as he hastily pulled away from her and groaned, rubbing a furious hand over his ear.

“Don’t remind me, Ed.” He grumbled, reaching for another stick of cigarette and popping the end into his mouth before giving her a long-suffering glare.

“And can you stop… _doing_ stuff like that? It’s distracting as hell.” He complained.

Ed snickered at his obvious discomfort and finally pulled away, an obnoxious smile on her face.

“ _You’re_ the shit-head who won’t stop staring, _pervert._ ” She retorted.

“So the rumors are true then, boss?” Fuery asked again, drawing Ed’s attention back to his earnest face.

“Rumors?” She echoed.

“About you reporting to the Ice Queen now.” Breda gave her a horrified look and shivered for emphasis.

“I was in an elevator with her once.” Fuery added, a traumatized look on his face. “It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. Olivier Armstrong is just… _scary._ ” He whispered.

“Aw, she’s not so bad.” Ed chuckled, though instead of answering their questions, she gave them an apologetic smile instead and decided to change the subject.

“Anyway, I can’t stay long. I don’t want to keep you guys from work, either. Is the bastard in?”

“The _General_ is just talking to Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong right now, Ed.”

At the new voice that had spoken, Ed whirled around and grinned when she saw Hawkeye walking back into the room.

“Major Hawkeye!”

They smiled at each other as Ed strode over to her, giving the older blonde woman a brief, warm hug.

Hawkeye was still smiling as they pulled apart but before Ed could say anything, she gestured towards Mustang’s closed office doors. “I’d let you in but the General said never to disturb him when he’s talking to someone.”

With that, Hawkeye paused and turned to give a smirking Ed an amused, knowing look.

“So do you want to go in anyway?” She asked.

Ed answered her with a wide, mischievous grin and winked.

“Fuck _yeah,_ I do!”

Hawkeye laughed at the enthusiasm in Ed’s voice and obliged, beckoning her over to stand in front of the entrance to the General’s office. Ed watched as Hawkeye raised a hand and knocked lightly against the closed doors.

“Sir?”

“100 cenz says the Chief _stares._ ” Havoc whispered loudly to a smirking Breda beside him.

“You’re _on._ ” Breda retorted.

After a few seconds, they soon heard Mustang’s irritated growl from the other side of the door.

“What is now, Hawkeye?”

“Ed is here to see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gomen-nasai! I know you’re all probably disappointed since you were expecting to finally get your Roy x Ed reunion / interaction in this chapter. I do hope the cute little flashback we had back there with Maes, Roy and Ed made up for it a little bit though. I love Maes so much, why did he have to die?! D:
> 
> Don’t fret! Our two lovers will finally meet up again in the next chapter so please stay tuned! And depending on how everything goes, we might even get to meet the rest of Olivier’s new team! :D


	7. Hot and Spicy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ed is all grown up and Roy can't stop staring.

 

It took Roy exactly ten seconds to process what Hawkeye had said but by then, a smirking blonde girl had already burst into his office, stopping by the doors and peering at him from across the room with a smug, obnoxious smile. 

“What’s up, Colonel Bastard?” Ed greeted cheekily as she leaned against the doorframe and snickered at Roy’s flabbergasted expression. “Or is it actually _General_ Bastard, now? I can never really remember. Eh, but what does it matter anyway, as long as I get to call you a bastard, I’m happy.” She quipped as she strode into the room.

Before Roy could even react properly or snap his gaping jaw back shut, Alex had let out a laugh and shot out of his seat, walking over to Ed with his hulking, muscular arms outstretched.

“ _Fullmetal!_ Long time no see! Come here and give us a hug!” He exclaimed happily as he raced toward her, failing to notice the way Ed’s eyes had suddenly widened when she saw him. She froze in place, smiling nervously and she held her arms out in front of her to prevent the _much_ larger Strong Arm Alchemist from crushing her against him.

“Major Armstrong! Still not wearing a shirt I see— _wait!_ Don’t hug me—argh! _”_ She meeped in protest as she was pulled into a tight, bone-crushing bear hug by the muscular man, squealing in laughter a few moments later when Alex lifted her off the ground so that her feet dangled and then spun her around like she were a weightless sack of potatoes.

“It’s actually Lieutenant Colonel now, Ed, but I’m _so_ happy you’re back!” Alex chirped.

“Alright then, alright! Let me go, Lieutenant Colonel! You’re kinda pressing me into your bare chest and it’s a little awkward and gross.” Ed protested, laughing in spite of herself as she struggled wildly in his arms until he finally set her back down onto her feet. “Jeez, you should _definitely_ not be on the welcoming committee.” She mused.

Chuckling at her words, Alex gave her hair an affectionate ruffle before he finally pulled away and stepped aside, allowing Roy to get a much better glimpse of the young, former subordinate he hadn’t seen in three years.

Dark onyx eyes darkened slowly as they roamed up and down her slender figure, beginning from her slim thighs, moving up her legs, pausing to linger at the alluring strip of smooth skin revealed by the way her tank top rode up, and trailing even further up to her breasts. His gaze lingered there for a few seconds before they finally rested flicked upwards to stare at her pretty face.

Roy noticed that her cheeks had lost their childish roundness, and her golden eyes, which were once lifeless and weary – like she had the entire weight of the world on her shoulders – were now _alight_ with mischief and matched beautifully with the rest of her features. Her blonde hair was longer than he remembered, and he was surprised, and secretly _pleased,_ to see that Ed no longer kept it in a braid. Instead, she had tied the thick mass up into a messy ponytail on the top of her head, letting it cascade all the way down her back like a golden waterfall that ended a few inches past her waist.

There was only one way that Roy’s malfunctioning brain could think of at the moment to describe her.

She was _gorgeous_ and she took his breath away _._

Fortunately, Alex saved him from having to think of something to say as the Strong Arm Alchemist drew Ed’s attention to him again, unknowingly buying Roy a few seconds to blink and tear his gaze away from Ed so he could hastily loosen his collar and take a few sip of his coffee in an effort to compose himself.

“Well, look at you! You grew up all nice and lovely while everyone was busy, didn’t you?” Alex commented, and there was a warm smile in his eyes as he reached out to give Ed an affectionate pat on the head. “I still remember you as that hotheaded little girl I used to accompany to Resembool.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel.” Ed answered as she rolled her eyes at him, though the smile on her face remained. “That does tend to happen after three years. Even I had to grow up _sometime._ ” She added, chuckling.

“Well just don’t grow up too fast then.” Alex told her as he ruffled her hair again before he finally turned to glance over at a stunned Roy Mustang still staring at Ed from where he sat behind his table. “Anyway, I’m sure you have a lot of important things to discuss with Roy over here, Ed. So I’ll leave you two to catch up. If you’re free, drop by my office later! I still have to give you and Al your invitations to my wedding.” He told her, and when he smiled at her again, Ed nodded and smiled back, allowing him to give her one last hug before he waved to Roy and strode out of the room.

As soon as Alex had left, Ed turned her attention to Roy again and she gave him another haughty, sideways smirk.

“Long time no see, Mustang.”

Finally managing to blink himself out of his self-induced, mindless trance, Roy shook his had and opened his mouth to greet her by her alchemist name. Unfortunately, to his utter _horror,_ the word that left his lips was not ‘ _Fullmetal’_ but—

“…Wow.”

“Excuse me?”

Ed froze at that, oblivious to the little panic attack that Roy was having in his head as she took a step back and stared suspiciously at him from the doorway with narrowed golden eyes. For the life of him, Roy couldn’t seem to find his voice as he sat there, wide-eyed and shock still, and he stared blankly at her, screaming curses at himself in his head.

_Are you fucking kidding me right now, Mustang?!_

“What the fuck are you staring at, you Pervert General?!” Ed growled as she noticed the direction of his creepy stare and scowled, pulling her jacket tighter over her front to cover her chest. “My eyes are up _here,_ you dirty old man!”

At the indignation he heard in her voice, Roy finally managed to snap himself out of his daze and his eyes flicked up to meet Ed’s flashing golden orbs. When he heard the way Havoc and Breda were snickering loudly from outside his office, his eyes narrowed and, ignoring Ed’s incredulous glare, he shouted towards the door so that Hawkeye could hear him.

“ _Shut the doors!”_

Roy waited until a disgruntled Hawkeye had trudged back into his office and shut the doors behind her before he turned to look at Ed again, fighting the urge to narrow his eyes as he watched her plop down into the seat Alex had vacated and grab his cup of coffee on the table. She glanced curiously into the cup for a few seconds, as though debating inwardly with herself if it was worth her interest, before she shrugged and raised it to her lips, ignoring Roy’s incredulous glare as she tipped her head back, blonde hair grazing against the back of her seat, and deliberately drank the rest of it.

His hooded gaze remained on her the entire time she did this, staring heatedly at her mouth as she set the cup back down onto his table and licked the lingering droplets of coffee off her pink lips.

“That was _mine,_ you know.” Roy drawled flatly, leaning back against his seat and giving her an unimpressed glare.

“Eh.”

Ed smirked smugly at him as she traced her fingers teasingly around the cup’s circular rim and handle.

“You snooze, you lose.” She retorted as she grinned cheekily and leaned back against her seat, crossing her legs. “Besides, that was fucking pathetic anyway. You should add a shot of whiskey to it next time, that way it’ll _really_ wake you up. It also gives it a bit more of a kick.” She mused.

“Are you even old enough to drink yet?” Roy pointed out wearily, rubbing his jaw.

“I’m old enough to do whatever the fuck I want.” Ed pointed out smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Fullmetal. Your _top._ ” Roy gritted his teeth as he _consciously_ made an effort not to stare too long at her scooped neckline. Shaking his head to clear the perverted thoughts away, he growled and pointed to her breasts. “You should really cover those up. It’ll only draw a lot of attention and besides, you’re in a military office.” He warned her.

“Nice to see you too, _Dad._ ” Ed snorted derisively, rolling her eyes.

Roy froze at that and his right hand clenched dangerously, fingers poised and itching to snap.

He a took a few, long, steadying breaths to calm himself down before he slowly lifted his gaze again and met Ed’s insufferable smirk.

“What did you just call me?” He asked in a low voice.

“What? _Dad?_ ”

Undaunted by his reaction, Ed just snickered at him and looked even more amused at his growing irritation.

“Unless you want me to incinerate all that pretty blonde hair hair of yours, Fullmetal, I suggest you never call me that again. _Ever._ ” Roy threatened slowly, not at all impressed by the fact that she didn’t even blink at his words.

She grinned at the way his left eye was twitching and finally settled back into her seat.

“I missed you too, bastard.” She teased.

“I mean it, Ed.” Roy warned.

“Fuck off.” Ed retorted, a decidedly uninterested expression on her face as she reached into the pocket of her jacket, rifling through it before she pulled out a small, chocolate lollipop. Then, to Roy’s astonishment, after unwrapping it, she leaned back in her seat again and popped the lollipop into her mouth.

“You’re not my Commanding Officer anymore so I don’t have to listen to any shitty thing you have to say.” She pointed out in a loud, sing-song voice.

Roy tried to ignore the horribly uncomfortable heat that was pooling somewhere below his navel as his gaze was immediately drawn to the lollipop in her mouth, watching intently as her pink lips closed around the small candy. Fortunately, she didn’t catch him staring this time and Roy quickly looked away when she glanced at him.

“Why are you really here, Ed?” Roy asked, rubbing a tired hand over his face as he stared at her. “As you said, I’m not even your Commanding Officer anymore. Shouldn’t you be reporting to your new boss?” He added bitterly.

“I just dropped by to say hi to the team. And to get my watch back, obviously.” Ed grinned, her words muffled slightly by the lollipop that was still in her mouth. “I’ll be starting tomorrow. My office is on the same floor.” She told him.

“Yes, I know. I saw the new roster circulated by the Fuhrer yesterday _and_ I spoke to your CO.” He answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Congratulations on the promotion, _Lieutenant Colonel._ ”

“Thanks.” Ed looked pleased at his acknowledgment and, as usual, she tried to lean back in her seat and place both of her feet up on his table again. Fortunately, Roy was used to this by now, and he shoved them away, causing her to curse as her feet, especially her automail leg, fell down to the floor with a heavy thump.

“Fucking hell, ow! You bastard! What was that for?!” She snarled.

“Now that you’re here—“ Roy ignored the scowl she gave him and leaned forward, placing both his elbows on his desk and resting his chin over his intertwined hands. “—perhaps you’d like to tell me why you suddenly decided to plunge a knife into my back?”

At the hard, mocking tone of his voice, Ed finally looked up from where she had been rubbing her leg and gave him a blank, genuinely confused stare.

“Eh?”

“Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you, Ed.”

“What the fuck are you talking about now, you ass?” She growled at him.

Roy resisted the insane urge to begin calling her names and met her scowl, not at all appreciating the fact that it looked as though the blonde girl had no idea what he was actually talking about.

“You re-enlisted.” He pointed out.

Ed blinked at him again and the confusion on her pretty face didn’t seem to be going away.

“Er…okay?”

“You told me you were _done_ with the military when you resigned.”

“I changed my mind?” She answered, giving him an incredulous look.

“You betrayed me!” Roy finally blurted out in an angry, indignant huff. “How could you agree to work for Olivier Armstrong?! You know very well that she’s my number one rival for Fuhrer! I thought we had a history together, Ed!” He grumbled.

“We do!” She protested, giving him an exasperated glare.

“Then why did you transfer to another team?!” Roy accused angrily.

“Oh come on! Don’t take it so damn personally. It’s just _work,_ asshole.” Ed sighed at the way Roy continued to glare at her and rolled her eyes, though he noticed that she couldn’t seem to meet his gaze.

“I just… _felt_ like a change was in order, you know what I mean? The Lieutenant General is someone I really look up to, and I could learn a lot from her. She’d be a good mentor to me—“

“And I wasn’t?” Roy winced when he heard the hurt in his voice, fully aware that he was deliberately and unfairly putting Ed on the spot with his questions but he couldn’t help it. “Did I not do a good job in being your mentor, Ed? I tried to lead you and guide you the best way I knew how. Did you hate being under me that much?” He asked.

“Well, you did _shout_ at me a lot and threatened to incinerate me all the time.” Ed teased, smirking at him.

At her words, the hurt frown on Roy’s face instantly disappeared and in its place was the same furious, indignant death glare that he was so used to giving her over the four years that they had worked together.

“Only because you shouted at _me_ first, you obnoxious brat!” He growled.

Ed’s eyes widened at his outburst, before they narrowed a split second later and she scowled, taking the lollipop out of her mouth and using it to point accusingly at him.

“ _ONLY BECAUSE YOU WERE BEING A BASTARD COLONEL!”_

“ _ONLY BECAUSE YOU WEREN’T FOLLOWING MY ORDERS_!”

“ _ONLY BECAUSE YOUR ORDERS WERE SO STUPID!”_

“Argh!”

Before he realized what he was doing, Roy couldn’t help it and in his anger, he _snapped_ his fingers, instantly setting the unused stacks of papers on his desk aflame and causing Ed to meep in alarm as she moved away. Both visibly stunned at Roy’s loss of control, they watched as the flames licked away at the documents, turning them into nothing but ashes.

After the smoke had cleared and Roy looked up at her again, a little embarrassed at the way he had lost his temper, he was surprised, and _relieved,_ to see that Ed’s lips were twitching and she looked as though she was desperately trying hard not to laugh. Truth be told, he also felt a little annoyed at her reaction, furious at the nerve of this little slip of a girl who was _laughing_ at him as though he wasn’t seriously contemplating burning her limbs off, but the longer he watched her, inwardly admiring the lovely flush on her cheeks, the more his indignation began to drain away until nothing but a reluctant smirk remained on his face.

Rolling his eyes, Roy finally relaxed and he leaned back into his chair, giving her a fond, exasperated smile.

“I forgot how easily you can get on my nerves, Fullmetal.” He mused. 

“The feeling is completely mutual, General.” Ed quipped back as she finally stopped laughing and looked up, surprising Roy when he saw the shy, sincere smile on her youthful face. “And to answer your question…The Lieutenant General may be my CO now, but you’re still my number one mentor. That hasn’t changed. In fact, you’re so much more than a mentor to me. And you should know that by now.”

Stunned, and a little taken back by the honesty he felt from her words, Roy blinked and smiled at her in surprise, his expression growing uncharacteristically soft. To his amusement, the minute she saw his reaction, Ed swallowed and hastily looked down, shoving her lollipop back into her mouth just as another dark red blush began to stain her cheeks.

“What the hell are you lookin’ at me like that for?!” She snapped, fidgeting nervously with her hands.

When Roy didn’t say anything for a long time after that and continued to smile curiously at her, Ed reluctantly looked up at him again and gave him an annoyed glare.

“Can you just give me back my fucking watch now?” She growled.

Smirking at the obvious impatience in her voice, Roy reached down and opened one of his desk drawers, extracting from it a small, rectangular box. When he placed it in front of her, Ed saw that it was her silver watch, though it had been placed in a small, protective glass casing.

She reached for it, only to have Roy chuckle and pull it away before she could touch it.

“Hey! Give it back!” She demanded.

“Have you officially passed your qualification exam yet?” He asked pointedly.

“Of course not!” Ed’s eyes narrowed as she glared back at him. “I just took it this morning, you bastard.”

“Then you can’t _officially_ have your watch back yet. Come back when you’re officially a State Alchemist again.” Roy told her, chuckling as he held the case up again before he flashed her another smug smirk and placed it back inside his desk drawer. 

Unable to do anything else, Ed continued to glower darkly at him for a few more minutes, idly twirling the lollipop around in her mouth. As she did this, Roy was content to just watch her, and he was amused when he saw the way her golden eyes roamed around his office in boredom, taking in her surroundings for the first time since she had walked in.

“I must say, you look well, Mustang. And I see that you’ve got a new, pretty snazzy office here.” She turned to him and she gave him another genuine smile. “Oh and congratulations on the promotion, by the way. One step closer to being Fuhrer. I’m still not paying you back that stupid debt I owe you though.” She teased.

“I figured as much.” Roy retorted wryly, though he couldn’t help returning her smile. “And don’t worry, I’ve been keeping record of your interest over the last three years. I’ll be sure to send you the bill when it’s time to pay up.”

“Bastard.”

Laughing at the adorably irate expression on her face, Roy felt strange when he sensed another warm, fluttery sensation stirring somewhere in the pit of his stomach. Unsure of what to make of it exactly, he decided to ignore it for now and gave the young blonde in front of him another fond look.

“You look good too, Ed. _Very_ well, actually. You’re all grown up.” Roy added after a moment’s pause, trying hard not to stare at her again like some creepy, perverted idiot.

_You look like sex on legs, damn it._

Wincing, he managed to stifle the crude thought that had _really_ wanted to come pouring out of his mouth.

“I know.”

At his words, Ed grinned back smugly at him and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I guess fighting off homunculi does wonders for puberty, huh? Though I gotta admit, I wish alchemy had fixed this too.” She gave him a resigned smile and reached down, knocking pointedly on her left leg where the automail was attached.

Roy’s eyes softened at the embarrassed look on her face and before he could stop himself, one of his hands reached out to clasp hers, giving her small fingers a squeeze of encouragement. “I wouldn’t worry so much about your automail leg. Besides, _I_ happen to think you look gorgeous with it anyway, Fullmetal.” He teased.

He spoke the words even before he could think about the consequences of what they meant and, from the way Ed was staring at him in shock, an attractive blush rising up in her cheeks, Roy knew she was just as stunned as he was. That was precisely why, in the next few minutes, for all the combined IQ of the two alchemists in the room, neither of them seemed to be able to say anything as Ed just kept shifting uncomfortably in her seat while Roy just kept drumming his fingers anxiously against the table.

Finally, when the silence became so unbearable that Roy was afraid Ed was going to leave, he forced himself to speak again, causing Ed to look up at the strange tone in his voice.

“You know…Maes was a Lieutenant Colonel too, back then. I’m sure that…I mean, _know_ that he would have been…” Roy didn’t bother finishing his sentence and let his voice trail off, hoping that Ed understood what he meant to say anyway. Thankfully, she didn’t ask him to clarify, and when he looked up to see Ed’s reaction, he saw that there was a small, understanding smile on her face.

“Yes, I remember. He and I even made a bet once that I would make Lieutenant Colonel before I reached his age. I actually dropped by this morning to tell him that he won.” She admitted, chuckling to herself.

“I just hate how that annoying bastard was always right.” She complained huffily.

“He was, wasn’t he?” Roy laughed in agreement, staring dazedly at the way the shade of the lights in his office was causing Ed’s blonde hair to shine brilliantly. “You should know that he was very fond of you too, Fullmetal.”

“Too?” Ed arched an eyebrow and her smile became playful as rolled her lollipop around in her mouth, crossed her arms over her chest again and shot him a smug grin. “Does that mean you’re finally admitting that _you’re_ fond of me _too,_ General?” She teased, chuckling when Roy sputtered at her words and gave her an annoyed glare.

“Don’t flatter yourself, brat.”

Ed laughed at his haughty retort before she finally stood up, and Roy tried to ignore the disappointment that was tugging his chest as he stood up after her, watching as she began straightening her clothes and pulled her hair out of its messy ponytail.

“Anyway, I’d better get going. I still need to run some errands and then call Al and Winry when I get back to my apartment.” She told him.

“Where are you staying?” Roy found himself asking as he followed her towards the doors.

“Still the dorms.” Ed answered as she stopped abruptly a few feet in front of the doors, nearly causing Roy to crash into her from behind. Thankfully, she remained oblivious to the way he was trying _very_ hard not to lean down and bury his nose into her smooth nape from where he was standing only a few _inches_ behind her.

Except for that one time she had kissed him, Roy had never exactly been this close to her before and so he never realized that her baby skin smelt like _apples_ and _cinammon,_ and it was driving him completely mad.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Roy bit his lip and forced himself to take a step back just as she had finished tying her hair back up into a neat ponytail. When she turned around again to face him, he blinked and managed to give her an innocent, disarming smile.

“So…” Ed began uncertainly.

They met each other’s hesitant, slightly awkward gazes again, his gaze lingering on hers longer than necessary.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Ed broke the eye contact and reached up to scratch sheepishly at the back of her head. Undeterred, Roy continued to watch her for a few more minutes, knowing from the expression on her face that she trying to think of another rude or smart-ass comment to break the tension.

Before she could say anything, however, Roy surprised them both yet _again_ when he finally spoke the words that he had wanted to say to her ever since she had walked back into his office after those three long years.

“I’ve missed you, Edeline.”

* * *

 

Ed wasn’t quite sure how exactly it happened. 

All she remembered was that she had been staring at the strange, _heated_ expression on Mustang’s face, wondering to herself what exactly the bastard’s problem was this time, when the next thing she knew, her cheek was pressed very intimately against her former Commanding Officer’s chest after he had caught her wrist and had yanked her right into his arms into a tight, warm hug.

Unlike the brief hug that Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong had given her awhile ago, however, this one was strangely making her feel hot and breathless and it was causing her knees go all weak and shaky that she actually had to grip tightly onto the back of Mustang’s military jacket to keep herself from keeling over.

As he leaned down and buried his face into the top of her head, taking a whiff of her hair, it took a few minutes before Ed’s muddled brain noticed that Mustang had somehow managed to back her a few steps until he actually had her trapped between the doors of his office and his tall, hard frame, preventing her from pulling away.

She automatically _stiffened_ in panic, her heart pounding very rapidly in her chest as she felt his arms tighten snugly around her waist, his fingers ghosting over the patch of skin between the bottom of her shirt and pants. He pulled her even closer against him, pressing their bodies dangerously close to one another, and melding their forms against each other so tightly that she could feel the heat emanating from his, even through their clothes.

As she stood there, awkwardly, in his arms, Ed realized that Mustang was so uncomfortably close, she could easily smell the cologne he used, as well as the enticing scent of his aftershave.

He smelled like mint, and fresh pine, and _fire._

She had never exactly been close enough to smell him like this before and she found that the scents all mixed together in the heat of Mustang’s chest was strangely and unnervingly _intoxicating,_ and Ed was horrified when she began to realize that it was turning her on like _crazy_ , making her traitorous, hormonal body overheat like a goddamn furnace.

It was the first time he had ever hugged her like this, and it was making her feel very, _very_ hot.

When he pulled away slightly, just enough so that he could look down at her face, Ed reluctantly tilted her chin to meet his gaze and their eyes met. Just like their bodies, their faces were uncomfortably close to each other, their lips mere inches away, but Mustang didn’t seem to mind. He trailed one of his hands up gently into her hair, sliding his fingers gently into the blonde strands and tucking the long locks behind her ear.

As he did this, his fingers accidentally touched her cheek and the warm touch startled Ed enough that she blinked and nervously wet her mouth, inadvertently causing Mustang’s hooded gaze to drop down to her lips, no doubt thinking about the last time they had been alone together in his office three years ago.

The way those dark eyes grew heated and the way he was subconsciously beginning to lean in made her nervous, and when he had gotten close enough so that she could feel his soft breath on her lips, Ed finally broke the moment and turned her face sharply away, pushing against at his chest.

“G—General.” She protested quietly, blushing.

The way she had used his rank seemed to cause Mustang to snap back to his senses.

It took a few more minutes for him to notice their compromising position, as well as the fact that he had actually backed her against the door but when Ed grunted and pushed at his chest again, he reluctantly moved away, muttering an apology. He looked embarrassed, and a light flush was staining his cheeks as he took another step back away from her, putting an acceptable amount of distance between them.

_What the fuck just happened back there?_

Truth be told, if Ed didn’t know any better, she would think that he actually looked disappointed at the loss of contact but she didn’t get any time to dwell on it, however, as Mustang quickly recovered and straightened himself.

When he glanced at her again, however, a displeased scowl returned on his face as he pointed at her neckline.

“You _really_ need to cover those up, Fullmetal.” He growled, his lips twisting into a sneer.

“They’re just _breasts,_ you bastard.” Ed snapped back, rolling her eyes at his melodramatics. “Don’t be such a prude, you’ve seen _tons_ of them on a lot of different women before, just chill the fuck out!” She blurted out.

Roy didn’t look amused at her response and strangely, her words only seemed to make him angrier.

“First of all, I don’t appreciate that comment. You make me sound like I’m nothing but a womaniser, which I’m _not._ I thought you knew me better than that, Ed.” He pointed out, instantly causing Ed to blink in guilt and confusion when she saw the genuinely offended expression on his face at her thoughtless quip.

“Sorry—“

“ _Second.”_ Mustang interrupted her sharply before she could even finish her apology. “—if you refuse to listen to me and continue to walk around in clothes like that, I will give you a disciplinary sanction.” He threatened darkly.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Mustang?! Just… _piss_ off already and get the fuck off case will you, bastard?!” Ed growled at him, her eyes flashing as she promptly forgot about her apology altogether and glared spitefully at him.

“You’re _not_ a kid anymore. Men will _stare._ ”

“And who the fuck gives a shit?” Ed ignored the way his eye twitched and scoffed in derision, rolling her eyes. “Staring is harmless. I’m used to staring, I used to get it all the time when I was a kid because of my automail.” She reminded him.

“Not _this_ type of staring, Ed. This is different. Trust me, not all men are content with just staring. Some may be much more… _persistent._ ” Mustang insisted, grabbing her arm when Ed had tried to reach for the doorknob.

“Fuck them!” She snapped impatiently, yanking her arm away from his grasp. “I’m a grown woman, I can handle myself just fine. I don’t need you playing overprotective guardian, Mustang! I know exactly how to get them to fuck off – something I wish you’d _seriously_ learn how to do at the moment!”

“Ed, wait! _Listen._ ” He grabbed her arm again, trying to get her to turn back around but she grunted and shoved him away. “Before you go, I want to talk about what exactly happened in my office that day you resigned—“

“Let’s _not!_ ” Ed cut him off sharply as she whirled around to face him, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “I was fucking insane, I didn’t mean it! I swear I really didn’t mean to cause any trouble for you and Hawkeye—“

Frowning, Mustang looked adamant as he shook his head and tried to reach for her arm again.

“But you didn’t cause trouble—“

“I _really_ don’t want to get into that again, Mustang.”

“Ed, _listen—“_  

Ed didn’t bother waiting for him to finish as she was able to wrestle her arm free from his grasp and finally yanked open the doors, stepping out of the room and back into the outer office to where Hawkeye and the others were staying. As she walked out, however, Mustang trailing behind her, Ed realized that she was apparently lucky enough to hear an interesting snippet of the hushed conversation that Havoc was currently having with Breda.

“I’m telling you, man! Don’t challenge me on my field of expertise. She’s most definitely a C-cup!” Havoc declared.

“Why are you so sure she isn’t a D?” Breda challenged pointedly.

“Because I _know_ my stuff, alright? I am an _expert_ on these things.” Havoc retorted smugly. “Trust me when I say that I know exactly how a D-cup would look like. You remember that homunculus – _Lust?_ Now, _she_ was most definitely a D-cup. But as for the Boss, I’ve seen enough to be _pretty_ damn sure that she’s—“

“—a _C-_ cup?” Ed supplied with a smirk as she and Mustang approached them from behind, causing both Havoc and Breda to jump in their seats and whirl around to gape at them with identical, horrified looks on their faces.

“I’m afraid to admit that Havoc’s right on this one, Breda. I’m actually impressed. You sure know your boobs.” She drawled teasingly, inadvertently causing Fuery to blush and Falman to choke on a mouthful of his coffee.

“Havoc.” Mustang’s voice sounded carefully restrained and threatening, and when Ed glanced at him, she was surprised to see that, strangely, instead of joining in on teasing Havoc like he usually did, he didn’t look at _all_ amused by their conversation. “That is _not_ an appropriate conversation to have when women are around. And Ed is _barely_ even a woman yet—”

“ _HEY, TAKE THAT BACK! I’M 19 YEARS OLD ALREADY, GENERAL BASTARD!”_

Ignoring Ed’s outburst, Havoc offered Mustang an apologetic smile and scratched at the back of his head.

“Don’t be mad at him, Chief.” Breda cajoled, though he was snickering as he took in Havoc’s embarrassed expression. “After all, Jean has to at least be good at _something_ , doesn’t he?” He cheeked.

“Very funny.” Havoc retorted sarcastically. “While I _am_ your resident boob man, I’d like to think I’m pretty good at a lot of things too other than that.” He kidded good-naturedly as Ed and Mustang stopped in front of his table. “I mean, how about _you,_ Boss? What are you good at besides, Alchemy?” He quipped.

“Now wouldn’t _you_ like to know?” Ed’s eyelashes had lowered and she leaned down into Havoc’s personal space again to purr into his ear, instantly causing the blonde man to shut up instantly and blush while the rest of the team laughed.

Snickering to herself as she pulled away, Ed didn’t fail to notice the fact that neither Mustang nor Hawkeye were laughing and were instead glaring at her and Havoc as though they had _both_ done something wrong.

Ed flushed under their angry looks and hastily cleared her throat.

“Alright, I suppose I’m going to take off now.”

“Hey Boss, be careful.” Falman told her as he looked up briefly from his telephone conversation and pointed at her feet. “Your shoelaces are untied.”

“Oh! Thanks Falman.”

Ed’s gaze dropped down to the laces of her leather shoes which, sure enough, had somehow loosened from their knot that morning. Without thinking, she automatically bent down low at the waist to re-tie them, but a second or two after she had finished, she heard Havoc let out a sharp, pitched, unmanly _squeak_ of panic.

As she stood back up to glance at him, however, she was confused to see that other than Mustang, who was discreetly shoving his right hand into his pocket, and Hawkeye who seemed to be glaring daggers at Havoc, the rest of the team had politely seemed to have averted their eyes from her while she had been tying her shoelaces.

Meanwhile, Havoc was whining as he clutched at the fingers of his right hand, which Ed noticed were a little red.

“The fuck happened to you?” She asked, looking amused.

“I—I—uh—“ Havoc swallowed and glanced nervously at Mustang again, only to snap his attention back to Ed when the General’s eyes narrowed and gave him a warning glare. “It’s nothing. My cigarette just caught a little fire, that’s all.”

“Um. Okay.” Ed missed the suspicious, knowing look that Hawkeye had sent over her shoulder at Mustang and turned around, giving the General another smirk. “I guess I’ll see you and the rest of the team around, alright Bastard?”

“Fullmetal. I _still_ think we have to discuss properly what happened.” Mustang frowned pointedly at her and for a minute, Ed was worried that he was actually going to start talking about how she had kissed him in front of the _whole_ team – including _Hawkeye,_ who Ed was pretty sure wouldn’t hesitate to send a bullet through her skull.

Fortunately, Havoc chose that moment to speak up again, drawing their attention back to where he was grinning at Ed from his desk.

“Hey Boss!” He and Breda shared matching, conspiratorial grins. “Are you willing to bet on your test scores? Breda here thinks that you’ll top the qualifying exam again. I don’t. Say…1000 cenz?” He smirked smugly at her.

“Jean.” Hawkeye sounded disapproving from where she was watching them at her table. “I really don’t think you should be betting on something like that—“

“1000 cenz, huh?” Ed’s eyes narrowed as she cut off the rest of Hawkeye’s protests and met both Breda and Havoc’s shit-eating grins with a smirk of her own.

“Oh you are so _on,_ bitches! Get ready to pay up.” She cackled loudly.

Ed didn’t bother waiting for them to respond as she stalked out of the room, only for Havoc to jump from his seat and push past Mustang so he could stop by the doorway and shout after Ed’s retreating back in the corridor.

“Test scores or it didn’t happen, Ed!”

“Fuck you! I’ll shove them into your face when they come out next week, asshole!”

Ed didn’t bother turning around as she strode down the corridor, ignoring the curious looks she received from the other soldiers passing nearby. Just as she was going to round the corner, however, she heard his voice call out to her. With a loud, exasperated sigh, she took her lollipop out of her mouth again and turned back around to glare at the tall, dark-haired General who had apparently trailed after her when she had left his office.

“What the fuck is it _now,_ Mustang?” She asked irritably.

“You’re not getting out of having this discussion with me.” He pointed out as he stopped and stood a few feet in front of her. “I think it’s only fair, I’ve wanted to talk to you about it for three years Ed. I think it’s long overdue.”

“Maybe some other time, General.” She rushed out hastily.

“Stop avoiding me!”

“I’m _not!”_

“Sure, you’re not.” Mustang drawled sarcastically, looking more than annoyed at her attempts to evade him. “Is it too much for me to expect you to act like an adult for once about this, Fullmetal?”

“With all due respect, Sir. Would you kindly _fuck_ off?”

When she absolutely refused to say anything else after that, glaring stubbornly at the ground by her feet, Mustang finally seemed to relent and he began to back away. Just when Ed thought that she was in the clear, however, he surprised her when he smirked and spoke up again in an overly cheerful, suspiciously harmless tone of voice.

“Is that a chocolate lollipop?” He asked innocently.

“Huh?” Ed glanced down at the lollipop she held her in hand in confusion before she glanced back up and gave the tall General a bewildered look. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Why, do you want one— _HEY!”_

The rest of her indignant protests died in her throat when, without any warning, Mustang suddenly reached out and snatched the lollipop from her, not even hesitating before he shoved it directly into his mouth.

Ed’s eyes widened in horrified disgust at that and she gaped at him as though he had grown an extra head.

“ _That_ was for drinking my coffee.” He quipped.

Ed was unable to do anything but blush and sputter incoherently as Mustang just smiled back sweetly at her.

“What the _fuck_ did you just do, you disgusting pervert?!” She screeched.

“Equivalent exchange.”

Mustang gave her a deadpan look as though _she_ was the idiot before he smirked again and turned around, sauntering back down the corridor and leaving a blushing blonde staring stupidly after his retreating back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha I just adore these two! And I absolutely love some good, ol’ fashioned unresolved, sexual tension. ;D
> 
> Next chapter will feature another flashback with Maes but in Roy's POV this time! Oh and sorry to disappoint everyone, I know I mentioned last chapter that I was going to introduce Olivier's new team but again, this chapter got too long. Anyway, I promise we'll get around to that very soon!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed their spicy little reunion! :D


	8. On the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ed settles into her new job and Roy makes a startling discovery.

The sharp, obnoxious ring of her telephone screeched into the silence, startling Edeline out of her thoughts. Cursing, she began digging through the stacks of unsigned documents on her desk and fumbled blindly for the phone.

 _“Elric.”_ She intoned distractedly into the receiver, reaching for another thick folder.

 _“Good morning, Lieutenant Colonel.”_ As soon as she recognized Mustang’s smug, smirking voice over the phone, Ed’s stiffened and her eyes immediately narrowed in annoyance. _“Would you care to explain to me why you signed off on that request for research funding about reversing Chimera transformations? That’s not one of our priorities right now.”_

 _“Bastard.”_ Ed gritted her teeth, her fingers tightening around the pen in her hand before she slammed it back down onto her desk. _“In case you’ve forgotten,_ General, _I’m in charge of all things related to overseeing and monitoring alchemist activity in the military now. So yeah, I have every right to approve a request like that.”_

 _“And in case_ you’ve _forgotten,_ Lieutenant Colonel, _I have the right to overrule you.”_ Mustang replied pointedly, sounding too self-satisfied for Ed’s liking. _“Research funding for State Alchemists must be strictly screened to make sure—“_

_“Lieutenant General Armstrong already signed off on that!”_

_“And now, I’m countering it. You forget, the State Alchemist program is under_ my _jurisdiction.”_

 _“You called me just to tell me you’re overruling me?”_ Ed demanded incredulously, imagining that instead of tightening her fingers around the receiver, she was tightening it around Mustang’s neck instead. _“Look, you Bastard, you’ve been bugging me for useless shit like this all fucking week! I don’t procrastinate like you, do you know how much paperwork I have to finish this morning?! How did you even get my direct number?!”_ She growled.

 _“I have my ways._ ” Came his amused, haughty reply.

_“Goodbye, General Shit-head.”_

Edeline didn’t bother waiting for his answer before she sneered and promptly hung up the phone, muttering to herself as she crankily reached for another report to go over. Before she even finished reading the first paragraph, however, the phone rang again and she cursed loudly before automatically snatching it off her table.

“ _Elric.”_

 _“Are you really busy or do you really just enjoy hanging up on me?”_ Mustang’s amused voice sounded once again through the phone’s receiver. _“Congratulations on topping the written alchemy exam by the way. I have your watch—“_

 _“Mustang, I am never picking up my phone again._ ”

Gritting her teeth, Ed slammed the phone down again just before she affixed her signature on the document she was reading and reached for another folder. As she flipped it open to view its contents, however, the phone _rang_ once again and, more out of instinct than anything else, her hand automatically reached out to grab it.

“ _Elric.”_

_“…I just wanted to see if you would actually pick up the phone again.”_

_“FUCK OFF, YOU BASTARD!”_ Ed practically roared into the receiver, not even bothering to screen her words this time as she let out another chorus of curse words and slammed the mangled phone down violently onto the table.

Seething, Ed was just debating on whether or not it was a good idea to hurl the blasted phone across her room for good measure when the doors to her office suddenly slid open and a tall, slightly lanky red-haired Private walked in with a wide impish grin on his face.

“Good morning, Lieutenant Colonel!”

Hanz, their team secretary, didn’t bother waiting for Edeline to acknowledge his entrance before he walked over to her desk and placed a large, formal white envelope on top of the document that Ed was reading, deliberately obscuring her line of sight.

Blinking, Ed raised an eyebrow and lifted her irritated gaze to give him an unimpressed glare.

“And what the fuck is that supposed to be?” She drawled flatly.

The redheaded Private was undaunted by the anger he heard in Ed’s voice and he answered her with another cheeky smile.

“It’s your invitation to the State Dinner next Friday, Ma’am.” Hanz told her, giving her a teasing wink. “It’ll be held in our main function room at 9PM. The Fuhrer likes to hold one every year after the last batch of State Alchemists have been appointed.” He added as a matter-of-factly.

“Forget it, I’m not interested.” Ed retorted as she swiped the envelope aside and returned to her paperwork. “Now get that thing away from me and get the fuck out of my office, Hanz.” She snapped.

“But Lieutenant Colonel.” To her annoyance, Hanz didn’t move but remained exactly in place before giving her another knowing grin. “ _All_ officers from the rank of Major and up are required to attend.” He sing-songed.

Edeline didn’t even look up at him and flipped another page of the report she was reading.

“Fuck you.”

“You’re really not my type, Lieutenant Colonel.” Hanz made a face at her and shook his head.

“Are you _trying_ to make me angry?” Ed challenged.

“You’re always angry.” Hanz scoffed and gave her a pointed look, ignoring Ed’s admonishing glare as he leaned down and helped rearrange some of the stacks of documents that were precariously teetering over the edge of her desk. “It’s just a State Dinner, Ma’am. _Every_ officer is required to attend, you won’t be able to get out of it.”

Ed groaned loudly in response and finally looked up from her paperwork, snatching the envelope from him and slipping out the card that was inside. Hanz bent down and peered over her shoulder as she read its contents.

“What exactly is this State Dinner about anyway?” She grumbled.

“Like I said, it’s an official welcome to all State Alchemists every year. Fuhrer Grumman started the tradition three years ago.” Hanz explained as he snatched the invitation from her hand and held it up to inspect it under the light.

“Fan- _fucking-_ tastic.” Ed muttered, rolling her eyes before she reached for her pen again and turned back to the report she had been reading. “Is this a formal event? What exactly am I supposed to wear to this thing?”

“It says here that everybody is expected to come in proper formal attire. That means a _dress_ for you, Ed.” Hanz answered, giving her an amused look.

Ed groaned again and brushed away a stray lock of blonde hair that had fallen into her eyes.

“Oh come on.” Hanz smirked as he walked around her desk to stand beside her, leaning down so that his head was beside hers. “Ma’am, if I had _your_ blonde hair and _your_ assets, I would definitely flaunt it, babe. Speaking of which—“ He reached for Ed’s golden braid and held it up pointedly against his head. “How do you think blonde hair would look on me? I’ve always thought I’d make a pretty attractive blonde.” He mused.

“I can’t even comprehend the gayness of that statement, Hanz.” Ed retorted, stifling an amused smirk as she snatched her hair away from him. Rolling her eyes, she cast another disgusted look at the invitation.

“I don’t have to go with anyone right?”

“Nope.” Hanz chuckled and shook his head. “But if you _do_ want to go with someone, go with that new Energy Alchemist guy, he’s really cute. And I saw him checking you out that other day too.” He pointed out.

“Right.” Ed snorted at that and tucked the card back into the envelope before stuffing it into her desk drawer. “You forget, _all_ men check me out.” She drawled haughtily.

“I _don’t._ ” Hanz retorted with a smug smile.

“Fuck off.” Ed scoffed at that and finally snatched another thick folder from the endless pile of documents that towered in front of her. “Now get the fuck out of my office before I stab you with my pen, Private.” She ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Hanz gave her another playful smile and wink before he offered her a salute and strode out of her office, whistling happily as he closed the doors behind him. Shaking her head to herself, Ed couldn’t help the amused smirk on her face as she thought about how, out of all her new teammates under Olivier’s command, Hanz was closest to Ed’s age – only a year older than her – so it was inevitable that they were very casual around each other.

 _Maybe a little_ too _casual._ Ed thought with a scowl.

Shaking her head, she was just debating inwardly with herself on whether or not she should finish up with the report she was reading when she heard another knock on the doors to her office, forcing her out of her thoughts.

Thinking it was Hanz again, she looked up with a glare, ready to snap at the red-haired assistant when to her surprise, a handsome blonde man strode in instead, carrying yet _another_ stack of thick documents in his arms.

“What the _fuck_ are those?!” Ed blurted out, watching in horror as he deposited them onto her desk.

“These are the complaints filed against all our State Alchemists that you have to endorse, and look into this week, Ma’am.” Lieutenant Mikhail Archer, Ed’s personal assistant and adjutant, smiled knowingly as he arranged the papers on her desk. Afterwards, he walked over to stand stiffly behind her, adjusting his pristine military uniform.

Mikhail Archer was a tall man, almost 6 feet, and he was, admittedly, quite easy on the eyes, with platinum blonde hair and mint green eyes. He was a dedicated family man, very by-the-book, notably prim and proper, and from what Ed had heard, he was one of the very first who had submitted his application to be assigned under Lieutenant General Armstrong’s new division.

Truth be told, the first time he and Edeline had met and Archer was informed that he would actually be reporting to her instead of Olivier, he was less than ecstatic, especially when he found out that his new Commanding Officer was 6 years younger than he was. In fact, on Ed’s very first day of work, she and Archer didn’t exactly hit it off – though Ed figured that might have been her fault since she kind of emphasized how young she was by smirking and flirting obnoxiously with the conscientious man until she had made him visibly uncomfortable.

She couldn’t help it though. The way he had looked at her when they were first introduced made Ed feel like a petulant child, and so she responded in kind by making sure Archer remembered _exactly_ that she was, in fact, a woman.

It was only a few days after Ed’s first week, the day Archer found out his wife had gone into labor and was rushed to the hospital, that things between them had changed. Edeline, against Olivier’s firm refusal, had dismissed Archer for the week, even despite the important meetings scheduled that week that he was supposed to help her prepare for.

Suffice to say, Olivier had been furious when she found out and had subjected Ed to a _week_ of overtime.

After Archer had returned to work and realized what happened, he finally apologized to Ed for his judgmental behavior and has been constantly glued to her side like a nuisance ever since. Although Ed _had_ to admit that the man, like him or not, was pretty damn awesome at his job. He actually reminded her very much of a male-version of Riza Hawkeye when it came to his relentlessness in making sure Ed always submitted all of her paperwork on time.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Ed’s eyes narrowed as she snatched one of the folders from the top of the pile and leafed briskly through it. “Didn’t you _just_ give me stacks of paperwork half an hour ago?!” She demanded.

“ _These_ are more urgent, Ma’am. The Lieutenant General expects your input on these by Friday.” Archer told her, his lips twitching when he saw the way Ed groaned again and slumped down noisily into her seat.

“We seriously have _this_ many goddamn reports against all our State Alchemists?” She whined.

“Oh no, Ma’am.” Archer raised an eyebrow and gave her an incredulous look. “These are just the paperwork concerning our alchemists assigned to Central and East HQ. The Lieutenant General instructed me to hold off those ones assigned to West, North and South HQ until next week.” He added cheerfully.

“How considerate of her.” Edeline growled as she snatched another folder from Archer’s outstretched hands. “You know, when the Lieutenant General recruited me, she didn’t exactly tell me that part of the job included _this_ much paperwork. If I had known back then, I probably wouldn’t have agreed to come back.” She pointed out, scowling.

“It comes with the seniority, Lieutenant Colonel.” Archer explained, giving her a mildly sympathetic smile. “The higher in rank up you go, the more authority you have, and that just means the more you have to approve.”

“Hey, how about this?!” Ed ignored his attempts to placate her as she suddenly sat up straighter in her seat and gave him a deliberately suggestive smirk, batting her eyelashes at him. “You finish half of my paperwork due this Friday, and I’ll… _flash_ you for five whole seconds.” She grinned.

To Ed’s extreme disappointment, Archer seemed to have finally gotten used to Ed’s antics at this point and so he didn’t even blush anymore like he used to in their first few days of working together. Instead, he gave his CO an amused smile and pointed to where Ed was supposed to affix her signature onto his receiving copy.

“I’m really more of an _ass_ type of man, Ma’am.” He deadpanned.

“Ugh.” Ed crossed her arms and grumbled irritably under her breath. “I’m not that confident about my ass.”

“I know.” He smirked back.

After she finished grudgingly signing all the papers he held out, Archer nodded and straightened back up, the smile never leaving his face as he began heading calmly towards the doors. Just as he was reaching for the doorknob, he turned around and gave Ed one last glance over his shoulder.

“Oh, and Ed?”

Ed looked up, meeting his bright green eyes from across the room.

“The Lieutenant General mentioned that she wanted to see you in her office in about 15 minutes. Something about an update on that confidential case you’re currently looking into.” He told her.

“Noted, Lieutenant. You’re dismissed.”

After Archer had closed the doors to her office, Ed let out a weary sigh and finally stood up, digging haphazardly through the piles of documents on her desk for her research notes. It took her a few minutes to find all of her handwritten little scribbles but thankfully, nothing seemed to be lost. Once she had stuffed them all into a folder, she stood up and tugged uncomfortably on her new military uniform before walking out of the room.

The new layout of the office for Olivier’s team had been structured so that Ed’s office was situated practically beside Olivier’s, at the very far end of the team’s quarters. Unfortunately, it meant that Olivier could easily see each time Ed exited her office, and _that_ meant that she had absolutely no excuse whenever Olivier asked to see her.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team were set up in their individual cubicles around the spacious outer office, with Lee’s table being the one closest to Olivier and Archer’s being the one closest to Ed.

As she walked out of her office, Ed couldn’t help compare how different the dynamics were under Olivier’s new team with that of Mustang’s. Three years ago, Ed remembered that the outer office of Mustang’s team had _always_ been loud – the silence filled by Fuery’s loud typing, Falman talking over the phone, and the sound of Havoc and Breda’s boyish, laughter-filled quips flying back and forth. In contrast, Olivier’s office was eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional ringing of the telephone or whispered question, but even then it was always work-related.

Ed really had to hand it to Olivier though.

In the two weeks that she had been working with her new colleagues, she had to admit that all of the people whom Olivier had selected to be a part of her new team were pretty damn awesome.

Major Lee, who Ed and Al had met before in Resembool, was only 27 years old. She was easily the scariest member of their team after Olivier, and, since she was Olivier’s adjutant, she was usually seen glued to the Lieutenant General’s side. She used to work in special operations and intelligence, and though Ed hadn’t confirmed it herself, Hanz had told her a rumor about how Lee had apparently infiltrated an entire Drachman military base by herself – and that was when she was only 18 years old.

Lieutenant Archer, on the other hand, had actually been in reconnaissance and communications before he was drafted into Olivier’s team as Ed’s subordinate. He was their team’s direct officer in charge of overseeing military regulation enforcement. Ed had also looked into his personnel file, so she knew that he had graduated top of his class back in the academy. He joined the military later than most, wanting to get married first, but made up for it with the fact that he’s risen up _four_ ranks in less than three years.

The oldest and most veteran members of their team, Lieutenant John Maddox, Captain Felix Ridge, and Major Dwight Brogan, used to be officers in the military police assigned to Fort Briggs. All three of them were _extremely_ loyal to Olivier, so she had brought them all with her when she was reassigned to Central. They were astonishingly large men, almost big enough to give Alex Armstrong a run for his money. _Both_ of Brogan’s arms were automail, apparently having lost both of his arms to a pack of rabid wolves while out patrolling the wall back when they were in Fort Briggs, while Maddox only had one eye and used an eye patch to cover the large scar over the other one. Under their new team structure, they worked closely with Olivier and Lee by overseeing all non-alchemist related, military personnel cases and presenting them to Olivier for her evaluation.

The team’s designated secretary, Private Dylan Hanz, was their most junior member but in spite of that, he was actually the most hardworking and efficient of them all. Edeline knew that Hanz had joined the military only a year ago and that he was only beginning his career but already, his administrative skillset was an integral part of their team. Within a week since they had started their new jobs, he had already developed a filing system to sort _and_ distribute all of their team’s paperwork, as well as a system to make sure he was constantly on top of Olivier’s and Ed’s schedules.

Unfortunately, Hanz’ meticulousness when it came to schedule also meant that he knew exactly where Ed was supposed to be at any given time, and so when he saw her stepping out of her office that morning and idly watching the rest of the team, he gave her a knowing glare and pointed her towards Olivier’s room.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m goin’ already!” Ed rolled her eyes at him and grumbled as she crossed the short distance towards the Lieutenant General’s office.

As she passed by Maddox, Ridge, and Brogan’s tables, which the three men had all lumped together at the center of the outer office, she saw them glance up at her and give her amused smirks. Lee, whose desk was the closest to the entrance of Olivier’s office, looked up from her desk as Ed approached gave her a cold, assessing look before nodding and gesturing her silently towards the doors.

She had raised a hand to knock when she heard Olivier’s sharp voice calling out to her from inside.

“Get in here, Fullmetal.”

“Mornin’, Boss.” Sensing the urgent tone in Olivier’s voice, Ed pushed through the doors and immediately sat down onto the chair in front of her desk.

Olivier had been reading through a thick stack of documents when she had entered, but the minute Ed sat down, the Lieutenant General didn’t waste any time as she immediately flicked her cold blue eyes up and stared expectantly at her.

“Tell me about what you’ve figured out so far about those missing officers.” She ordered briskly.

“I need more time, Ma’am.” Ed answered, trying not to shrink under the Ice Queen’s narrowed blue eyes. “So far, all the files you gave me are just givin’ me fragments, but nothin’s really forming a coherent picture yet. Though, I _am_ more than 90% sure at this point that this perpetrator is most certainly _not_ Roy Mustang.”

“And exactly how are you so certain of that?” Olivier challenged icily, giving her a dubious look.

“Because yes, those officers _were_ killed using flame alchemy but—“ Ed hesitated as she opened her folder and took out some of her notes. “—I _studied_ those ashes myself and I found traces of more than just oxygen.”

Unimpressed, Olivier merely raised an eyebrow at her and crossed her arms impatiently over her chest.

“And why exactly should I find that observation relevant?”

“Because I _know_ Mustang’s alchemy!” Ed snapped back, giving the older blonde a pointed glare. “Mustang, if anything, has always been _precise_ when it comes to his use of flame alchemy. It’s his specialty, after all. He doesn’t leave traces of any other chemicals in his alchemy other than oxygen, and yet, the ashes that were sent to the Fuhrer had bits of burnt wood and even _water!_ It wouldn’t have made sense for Roy to have used those elements.” She argued.

“So what are you saying, that this supposed perpetrator’s flame alchemy is… _messy?_ ” Olivier asked blandly.

“More than messy. It was _inexpertly_ done.” Ed confirmed, a knowing gleam in her eyes. “Almost as though the person didn’t even have full control of his flames. In fact, I’m even willing to bet that this asshole killer, whoever he is, doesn’t know shit about real flame alchemy. He might have even found a way around it!”

“Fullmetal.” Olivier sounded frustrated as she reached out and massaged the bridge of her nose in growing exasperation. “I understand that you’re loyal to your former Commanding Officer, and that you’re sure of his innocence in all this, but I _can’t_ go to Fuhrer to exonerate him using just these… _alchemy speculations!_ I need something concrete! Actual _evidence_ that shows Mustang didn’t do it!” She growled.

“Then I’ll _find_ you evidence!” Ed retorted hotly, her golden eyes flashing at the challenge. “Three years ago, Al and I started a bit of research into a specialized field of advance alchemy called _Cosmutation._ We never got to finish it back then because we were more focused on finding the philosoper’s stone, but our notes should still be in the library. It supposedly allows seamless transformation from one form of alchemy to another.” She explained.

“Seamless transformation from one form of alchemy to another? What does that mean?”

“A person who uses Cosmutation can transmute, say, air and water to create _wood,_ and then simultaneously transmute wood and water to create fire.” Ed added, leafing through her hastily scribbled notes. “I wouldn’t exactly call it flame alchemy, but it would be pretty close.”

“That’s not possible.” Olivier blinked and glared suspiciously at her, looking unconvinced.

“It is _very_ possible, just difficult as fuck.” Ed countered, shaking her head. “It was a branch of alchemy that originated in Ancient Xing so not a lot of people in Amestris know about it. I’ll ask Sheska to look into our old archives. If I could just find those old research notes Al and I made, I might be able to complete it and prove that this perpetrator who killed those officers wasn’t using flame alchemy at all.” She wondered out loud to herself.

“Very well.” Olivier finally seemed to be satisfied with her explanation as she turned back to her files and gave Edeline a curt nod. “I’ll give you full reigns on that then, just keep me updated on whatever you find. Oh and make it quick, Fullmetal. The last thing we need is another officer disappearing when the Fuhrer’s only just gotten back. _Speaking_ of which—“ She paused and turned to give Ed another sharp look.

“The Fuhrer is back from his diplomacy trip, and he’s already called an update meeting with his Generals this morning.” She began, ignoring the look of confusion that crossed Ed’s face.

“So…?”

“It begins in less than thirty minutes.” Olivier continued as she closed the folder in her hand and placed it on top of the pile on her desk.

“Okay—?“

“He’s asked me to bring you along because he wants to welcome you back into the Military in person.” Olivier leveled Ed with her icy glare. “Now _before_ we go, however, I want to make sure I’ve briefed you properly on the current political situation going on right now among the high officers before I actually introduce you to them.” She added.

“Political situation?” Ed couldn’t resist sneering at that and she rolled her eyes. “No offense, Lieutenant General, but I don’t really care much for things like that. I never gave a shit about politics back when I was a kid, I _still_ don’t give a shit now.” She retorted bluntly.

“Fullmetal, as a member of my team, you _have_ to be aware of who you’re dealing with because I _cannot_ have you embarrasing me.” Olivier admonished her sharply, her eyes flashing in warning. “Now, after Fuhrer Grumman, the two probable contenders to becoming the next leader of Amestris within the next three years are General Neumann, and General Dietrich. General Neumann is _Mustang’s_ direct superior, while General Dietrich is mine.” She explained.

“Yes, I’ve heard of them.” Ed grumbled, rolling her eyes. “I know that a lot of the ruralfolk in Amestris favor Neumann because he’s all nice or some shit but Dietrich is the stronger contender in Central, since he’s the militaristic one.”

“It’s more than that.” Olivier’s eyes narrowed as she leaned back against her seat and folded her hands primly against her lap. “While Nuemann thinks of our State Alchemist program as unnecessary, Dietrich’s views regarding the State Alchemist program are quite… _extremist,_ to put it mildly. In fact, he was the one who first suggested the idea of putting our most skilled alchemists out in the front line during the civil war against Ishval.”

Ed’s eyes widened in stunned realization.

“In any case, do not make a spectacle of yourself later.” Olivier added, deliberately changing the subject before Ed could ask anymore questions. “After the Fuhrer, Nuemann and Dietrich are the two most powerful men in the Amestris military right now, and I won’t be able to protect you against them. Don’t do or say anything to upset either of them.”

Instead of answering, Ed crossed her arms over her chest and gave the older woman a wide, shit-eating grin.

“What makes you think I’d say anything to upset them?” She chuckled.

“I don’t have time to coddle you like Mustang did, Fullmetal!” Olivier growled sharply, causing Ed to flinch in surprise and shift nervously in her seat. “Now unless you want a saber stuffed down your throat, when I bring you with me to that meeting later, you will _refrain_ from acting like your normal self and show proper respect all your superiors. Am I making myself clear, soldier?” She challenged in a dark, foreboding tone of voice.

As she was once again subjected to the icy glint of Olivier’s death glare, Ed immediately backed off and huffed, scowling as she slumped down dejectedly into her seat.

“Yes, Ma’am.” 

* * *

 

Roy was _definitely_ not having a good morning.

Not only had he accidentally slept in and managed to piss Hawkeye off by arriving more than _thirty_ minutes late to the office, but he had also spilled a cup of searing hot coffee over himself after his brief telephone conversation with Edeline that morning. He supposed that was his fault though – he had been so amused by her hanging up repeatedly on him that he hadn’t realized he was holding a cup of coffee and when he had leaned back against his seat and laughed, he had unwittingly tipped the cup over so that the hot liquid spilled down his pants.

Seeing as he wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of appearing before the Fuhrer with a coffee stain marring the front of his trousers, he had excused himself to go to home and get changed – inadvertently pissing Hawkeye off _again_ as she reminded him _pointedly_ that there were _stacks_ of documents that needed his signature within the _day_ and he hadn’t even started on one.

Roy decided not to mind it that much though, it wasn’t like Hawkeye hadn’t threatened to shoot him in the crotch before, though he figured he probably shouldn’t do anything else to provoke her that day for good measure.

In any case, after Roy had changed into a clean pair of pants and returned to the office, Hawkeye promptly informed him that his meeting with the Fuhrer and the other Generals was moved earlier so Roy no longer had any time to prepare as he immediately headed for the Fuhrer’s office despite his groggy, coffee-deprived state.

Fortunately, there weren’t a lot of Generals yet when he got to the conference room adjoining the Fuhrer’s office and so Roy was able to grab a seat at the far end of the table. Within a few minutes, the rest of the Generals entered the room after him so Roy glanced up, only to blink and stare in surprise a few seconds later when Lieutenant General Olivier Armstrong walked in, a young, familiar blonde in a military uniform trailing close behind her.

_Is that Edeline?_

Roy had to blink a couple of times as he stared at the blonde in front of him, his eyes trailing up and down the blue uniform that wrapped rather snugly around Edeline’s slender frame. Despite how he had bugged her incessantly over the phone almost every morning since she had started work, this was actually the first time Roy had seen Ed since she had visited his office two weeks ago, and seeing her now, looking so grown-up in her military attire, brought an uncomfortable flush to his cheeks.

Fortunately, neither she nor Olivier had seen him yet as they were too busy conversing with another General by the doorway so Roy took that moment to drink the sight of her in, almost hating the fact that the blasted uniform seemed to conceal most of Ed’s curves. To his further disappointment, her long blonde hair was back in a single braid, tied neatly at the end with a ribbon, and hung just above her waist. He couldn’t deny that the uniform looked good on her though, and he almost didn’t recognize her as that small, loud-mouthed girl in her trademark, hooded red jacket.

“Mustang.”

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Roy managed to look up just as Olivier and Ed approached him, both blondes taking the vacant seats adjacent to his. He recognized the voice that had spoken as Olivier’s, and he greeted the other General with a brief, curt nod.

“Armstrong.”

“General Bastard.” Ed greeted as she smirked obnoxiously at him, instantly causing Roy’s left eye to twitch as he turned and leveled her with a warning glare. She ignored him, however, and leaned back against her seat.

“Can you give me back my watch now?” She grunted.

“I’ll give it back to you after the meeting, Ed. May I ask _why_ you’re here by the way, _Lieutenant Colonel?_ This meeting is for _Generals_ only.” He gave the scowling blonde a deliberately mocking sneer.

“The Fuhrer wanted me to bring her.” Olivier answered him before Ed could say anything else. “He said he wanted to personally welcome her back. He probably just wants to congratulate her.” She waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s weird seeing you in uniform, by the way.” Roy commented, smirking as he cast a teasing look at Edeline from the corner of his eye. “I almost didn’t recognize who you were without the leather pants and that tacky red coat of yours.”

Ed’s eyes narrowed angrily and she nudged him sharply in the side.

“Fuck off—”

 _“General Dietrich.”_ Olivier cut off the rest of Ed’s retort as she and Roy both stood up sharply from their seat and greeted the tall, gray-haired man entering the room with a formal salute. Belatedly realizing her lack of manners, Ed slowly stood up after her Commanding Officer and acknowledged the tall man with the same formal salute.

“At ease.”

General Dietrich gave a brief nod of greeting towards the other Generals before he nodded and took the seat across Olivier. As Roy, Olivier and Ed sat back down into their seats, Dietrich shot a questioning look at Ed.

“Is there a reason you’re here with us, Lieutenant Colonel?” He demanded sharply.

“She’s my new State Alchemist, General. The Fuhrer requested me to bring her so he could meet her.” Olivier answered hastily when Ed had scowled angrily and looked as though she was going to blurt out something insubordinate. “I’ve believe you’ve heard of her before. This is Edeline Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.”

“This little blip of a girl is actually the Fullmetal Alchemist?!” Dietrich’s eyes widened at that and he glanced at Ed again, stroking his mustache and deliberately giving her a disbelieving, dubious look.

Roy stiffened and clenched his jaw when he noticed how Dietrich’s hooded, disturbing gaze seemed to linger suspiciously over Ed’s slender figure for longer than necessary. He knew for a fact that Dietrich had a reputation in the military for being a dirty old man, and in that moment, Roy swore that if the man wasn't a higher-ranking General, he would have loved to incinerate his mustache right off his face.

“ _HEY WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BLIP, YOU BAST—“_

“She’s actually quite a brilliant alchemist, General.” Olivier interrupted, managing to cut off the rest of Ed’s angry retort before she could say anything to offend the high-ranking General. “She also topped the alchemy exam this year.”

“She did, did she?” Dietrich arched an eyebrow at that and this time, even Olivier looked annoyed by the creepy, perverted stare he kept casting on Edeline.

“Exactly how old are you anyway, Fullmetal?”

“I’m 19, Sir.” Ed answered in a carefully controlled voice, and Roy hid a smirk when he noticed how obvious it was to him that she was gritting her teeth and trying _very_ hard not to lose her temper.

“19, huh? Seriously?” Dietrich snorted loudly at that and shook his head in disbelief. “You’re the same age as my youngest daughter! Are you sure you know how to handle a gun, little miss?”

From the corner of his eye, Roy watched as Ed’s golden eyes flashed again and began to narrow _very_ dangerously. Fortunately, however, just when it looked as though Ed was going to start shouting, the moment was interrupted when another gray-haired man, smaller in stature than Dietrich, suddenly walked into the conference room.

Ed made a face but reluctantly stood up after Roy and Olivier, grumbling as she imitated their salute.

“General Neumann.”

“At ease, gentlemen. Ladies.” Neumann greeted cheerfully as he finally took the last seat beside Dietrich and smiled cordially at the other Generals. Once Ed had settled back into her seat between Roy and Olivier, however, Neumann suddenly turned to her and gave her a warm, curious smile.

“Well now, I’ve heard stories about the Fullmetal Alchemist but I don’t believe we’ve met before!” He chuckled and extended a hand towards her. “Karl Neumann. It’s a pleasure to meet our youngest alchemist prodigy, at last! Welcome back to the military, Edeline!”

“I believe the pleasure is mine, Sir.” Ed answered politely, her lips tugging upwards into a smile. “We’ve heard a lot of good things about you back in Resembool.”

“Ah, I’ll bet that what all you pretty young ladies say to old farts like me.” Neumann kidded as he waved her comment aside and leaned back against his chair. “It’s a shame Roy here wasn’t able to recruit you back under his team. Though, I can’t say I blame Olivier for stealing you for herself, huh?” He chuckled knowingly.

In spite of himself, Roy couldn’t help scowling at Neumann’s words but before he could say anything, they were interrupted when the doors of the conference room slid open again and this time, all the occupants of the table stood up and saluted as the Fuhrer entered and made his way towards them.

“Good morning.” Fuhrer Grumman greeted, pausing briefly by the doorway to return their salutes before he made his way to his seat. “At ease, everyone. Sorry I’m late, my wife had a hard time letting me go this morning. Something about not seeing me for almost a month.” He quipped jokingly, earning a few chuckles from some of the other Generals.

“Good morning, Sir.” Olivier called his attention as they all sat back down. “I believe you wanted me to invite the Fullmetal Alchemist to our meeting this morning.” She reminded him, gesturing to the blonde girl beside her.

“Ah yes! Fullmetal, welcome back! How are you?” Grumman smiled brightly as he turned his gaze towards Edeline, inadvertently causing the young teen to fidget uncomfortably when all the other generals also turned to look at her.

“I’m fine, Sir. It’s an honor to be back.” Ed answered him with a cordial smile.

“Sorry to disturb you from your duties so early in the morning, but I just wanted to greet you myself! You were such an indispensable part of our team three years ago. I never got to thank you for that, by the way. Without you and your brother, I don’t know what would have happened to Amestris!” He chortled jovially as he reached out to take her hand.

“It was nothing, Sir.” Ed answered, looking a little uncomfortable as she continued shaking the Fuhrer’s hand. “We were just doing what any citizen would have done. Oh and thank you for welcoming me back despite my resignation three years ago.”

“Nonsense, we’re lucky to have you back! Congratulations on topping the alchemy exam again, by the way! Brilliant as always, aren’t we?!” Grumman exclaimed cheerfully, causing Dietrich and some of the other Generals seated around the table to snort and roll their eyes.

“ _You_ were the one who agreed to let this… _child_ back into the Military, Grumman?” Dietrich demanded.

“I’m _not_ a child, General Dietrich.” Ed answered carefully through clenched teeth, though from where he sat beside her, Roy could tell that she was _furious_ from the way her hands had tightened into very angry fists.

“Yes, I was. And for good reason too.” Grumman answered, choosing to ignore the derision in Dietrich’s voice. “We need all the brilliant alchemists we can get, Dietrich. You said so yourself, Dietrich, they’re an indispensable part of our force.”

With that, the Fuhrer finally turned to address the rest of the Generals, the cordial smile fading slowly from his face.

“Which brings me to this morning’s urgent announcement. I’m afraid, gentlemen, that there’s been another alchemy attack in one of our facilities in Bethany. A few of our men stationed there were injured.” He announced grimly.

“That old backwater town again?” Dietrich snorted, slamming his fist angrily against the table. “I knew we should have sent more men to that place, those uneducated people do nothing but cause skirmishes over the _stupidest_ things! I say we send some of our alchemists down there and teach them a lesson.”

“If we do that, then we’d only be reinforcing their fear of alchemists even more, Dietrich.” Neumann countered, shaking his head and giving Dietrich an exasperated look. “We know these people are _terrified_ of alchemists, their religion brands alchemists as devil worshippers or whatnot. The best way to calm them down is to show them that we’re not the monsters they think we are.” He told him.

“You’re both partially correct.” Grumman pointed out, causing both Neumann and Dietrich to give him a confused look. “I _do_ plan on sending someone from Central down there, but I’m only sending _one_ alchemist so as not to terrify the townsfolk. Lieutenant General Armstrong.” He waited until he had both Olivier and Ed’s full attention. “I want you to brief Fullmetal on this matter and then have her go down there to investigate. They may not be so fond of alchemists, but I need one of our own looking into those attacks so I can find out what’s really going on.”

 _They’re sending Ed down to a place like Bethany?!_ Roy thought frantically to himself as he suddenly looked up and met the equally surprised expression on Ed’s face.

_They can’t send her down there by herself, that town burns alchemists alive like witches on a stake, who knows what they’d do to her?!_

“Yes, Sir.”

Olivier nodded in understanding, oblivious to the frown that was forming on Roy’s face. Fortunately, she seemed to share Roy’s concerns on the matter because she frowned and turned to the Fuhrer in question.

“If I may, Sir, that town is known to be quite violent when it comes to dealing with military personnel, particularly State Alchemists. Perhaps I could send a few of my men down there as well to go with her?”

“That’s fine, Olivier.” Grumman nodded and gave her a distracted smile. “Send two or three of your men with her, if you think it’s necessary. It’s best to limit our numbers so as not to draw too much attention from the townsfolk. Now, if the Lieutenant Colonel wouldn’t mind being dismissed—“ He paused and cast a glance at Ed, waiting until the blonde saluted and began to rise from her seat. “—we can move on to more pressing, confidential matters—“

“Pardon me, Sir.” Roy surprised himself when he suddenly spoke up, causing Ed to pause mid-way from getting out of her chair and the rest of the room’s occupants to glance at him in question. “With your permission, I’d also like to look personally into this matter regarding the attacks in Bethany myself. If I could perhaps accompany Fullmetal—“

“Nonsense, Mustang.” Grumman dismissed the suggestion with a shake of his head.

“I’m sure your concern is unnecessary. Lieutenant Colonel Elric is more than capable of dealing with Bethany. She has more than enough experience in dealing with matters like this on her own. Now, on to other more crucial concerns…”

Roy didn’t bother listening to the rest of what the Fuhrer had to say as his eyes narrowed and followed Edeline out of the room. He watched as she paused by the doors and turned to give him a curious look. When he frowned warningly at her, she rolled her eyes and offered him a helpless shrug before she strode out the doors.

* * *

 

To Ed’s dismay, she was scheduled to leave by train to Bethany the very next morning so instead of finishing up on her paperwork like Archer expected her to do, she managed to slip past him that morning after her meeting with the Fuhrer and decided to spend the rest of her day in the library instead.

She found Sheska there, buried underneath a stack of dusty piles of books as usual. When Ed had told her what she was looking for, the two of them spent the remainder of the afternoon searching through the old archives for the notebook that contained Ed and Al’s old research notes.

After a few hours, Ed stole a glance at Sheska’s watch and realized a bit too late that she should probably head back to her office before Olivier went looking for her. She reluctantly excused herself from Sheska, though not before telling the archivist to inform her right away the minute she found what they were looking for.

Fortunately, only Archer and Hanz seemed to be in the office that afternoon when Ed got back and she breathed a sigh of relief as she immediately headed straight for her room.

“I’m sorry but the Lieutenant General is out of her office at the moment – Ed, _finally!_ There you are, we’ve been looking everywhere for you!” As she passed him, Hanz looked up from his telephone conversation and gestured madly with his hands to catch her attention.

“Hey, wait! Hold up a minute there, babe! The Lieutenant General asked me to give you a few things!”

“Hanz, if you call me babe again, you fucker, I am going to slit your scrawny little throat.” Ed growled threateningly as she stopped in front of his desk and turned to give the redhead a dark, murderous glare, watching as he scrambled to hang up the phone and gathered a couple of papers from his desk.

To her annoyance, he ignored Ed’s threat and gave her a cheerful smile instead, handing her a small train ticket and a few folders. “ _Here_ is your train ticket for tomorrow, as well as all available information we have on the incident that happened in our Bethany facility. You leave first thing 6am tomorrow morning. Oh and Major Brogan, Lieutenant Maddox and Captain Ridge will be the ones accompanying you to Bethany. You don’t have to worry, Lieutenant Archer will handle all your paperwork until Friday when you get back.”

“That’s the best thing you’ve said all day.” Ed immediately forgot what she was angry about and grinned at the thought of not having to deal with her paperwork, cheering up for the first time since that morning. “Anyway, if I’m not needed here, then I’ll just grab a few stuff from my office and then I’ll head on back to the library and get some research done—“

“Lieutenant Colonel.” Frowning at having been cut off, Ed looked up and saw Archer sitting at his desk and giving her a nervous look. Rolling her eyes, she shot him a glare and raised an expectant eyebrow.

“What the hell is your problem, Archer?”

Her adjutant looked a little unsettled as he bit his lip and flicked his gaze uncertainly over to her office before swallowing and glancing at her again.

“Brigadier General Mustang is waiting for you in your office, Ma’am.” He informed her.

“ _What?!”_ Her eyes blazed to life as she flicked her glare from Archer’s wincing face to Hanz, snarling and baring her fangs at the nervously grinning Private. “Why the _fuck_ would you let him into my office, Hanz?!” She growled.

“B—because he ordered us to, Ma’am—“

Ed ignored Hanz’ stammered apologies and Archer’s frantic explanations as she stormed into her office, glaring incredulously at the sight of a smirking Roy Mustang sitting very comfortably behind her desk. He was leaning her chair back and had his feet propped up onto her table – the same way _she_ always liked to do to his. To her further annoyance, he was skimming through one of her precious alchemy books, which she guessed he had probably stolen from the shelves in the back of her office.

When he saw her gaping at him from the doorway, however, the smirk on his face widened and he set his feet back down noisily onto the floor.

“I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show up.” He mused.

“Are you here to give me my watch back, Mustang?” Ed asked flatly as she stood in front of her table and glared down at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “And that’s _my_ desk, by the way. Can you get the fuck out?” She growled.

“I’m not giving you your watch back, Edeline.” He answered, the smirk finally leaving his face as he frowned grimly at her and reluctantly set the book he held back down onto her table.

“I’m here to try and convince you not to go to Bethany.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ed arched an eyebrow and glared at him as though he was admitting to being a homunculi. “I can’t _not_ go to Bethany, you bastard! You were there, you _heard_ the Fuhrer, I was _ordered_ to go! Are you actually trying to get me to defy a direct order?!” She asked incredulously.

“Let _my_ team handle it then. I’ll talk to the Fuhrer.”

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?!” She growled at him.

“It’s a town that _burns_ alchemists publicly like witches, Ed! You haven’t seen the people there like I have!” Mustang persisted as he stood up from her desk and walked around the table to stand in front of her, making Ed scowl when she realized how much taller he was than her. Despite the fact that she had grown taller over the last three years, the top of her head only reached up to his mouth, and it irritated her to no end that she had to tilt her chin up whenever she wanted to meet his eyes.

“Mustang, in case you’ve forgotten, I have seen and lived through a hell of a lot worse than that. I am _perfectly_ capable of taking care of myself without your help.” Ed snapped coldly at him, her golden eyes glinting with anger. “Besides, I’ll have Brogan, Ridge and Maddox with me. They’re all from Briggs so we’ll be fine. Now, damn it, give me back my fucking watch—“

“No.” He deadpanned.

 _“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM, ASSHOLE?!”_ Ed finally exploded, causing Archer to wince outside her room and rush towards them so he could hastily shut the door to her office, leaving her alone with Mustang. _“HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT YOU ARE NOT MY COMMANDING OFFICER ANYMORE?!”_

“Edeline.” Mustang’s voice sounded weary as he reached up and massaged his temples in frustration. “If the townspeople in Bethany _see_ you wearing your watch, you’ll be their prime target!” He argued.

“And you honestly think I’m _so_ incompetent that I’ll just waltz right in there with my fucking watch dangling from my hip?” Ed retorted, giving him a derisive sneer. “Mustang, I _need_ that watch as identification! Otherwise, _nobody_ in that military facility is going to believe me when I tell them that I’m a State Alchemist.” She pointed out.

To her relief, Mustang must have realized the truth behind her words because he seemed to relent after she had said that and sighed, reaching into the pocket of his jacket. As soon as Ed recognized her silver watch in his hand, her eyes narrowed and snatched it from him, causing the Flame Alchemist to scowl and trap her smaller hand in his.

“ _HEY, DAMN IT! LET GO—“_

“You have to keep it hidden at _all_ times.” He growled, his calloused fingers tightening around hers and causing Ed to squirm uncomfortably.

“ _Seriously,_ what the hell is wrong with you?!” Ed blurted out as she managed to yank her hand free from his grasp.

“I’m just trying to protect you!”

“I am not fucking 12-years-old anymore, Roy!”

He froze at that, blinking and looking a little startled at her sudden use of his first name.

“I _know_ that you’re not a child anymore, Ed.” He said calmly.

“So then drop your stupid little charade already and _stop_ treating me like I’m your goddamn daughter! I don’t know about you, Roy, but I _never_ wanted you to be my father!” Ed blurted out, her cheeks flushed with anger.

Mustang paled at that and his onyx eyes widened in horrified realization at her words.

He blinked and took a couple of steps away from her, looking a little shaken by what she had said. Frowning to himself, he slowly opened his mouth as though to say something else but Ed had enough.

Shaking her head and giving the tall, stunned General another sneer, she walked around him as though he was nothing but an inanimate object, snatched a couple of folders from her desk and stormed out of her office, slamming the door shut noisily behind her.

* * *

 

Roy was still standing numbly in the middle of Ed’s office and staring in dismay at the closed door, Ed’s last words reverberating over and over again in his head.

It wasn’t that she had sounded so angry when she had shouted them at him, he was pretty much used to Ed’s anger by now. It was the fact that he realized her accusation was _completely_ true.

He _had_ been trying to hide his attraction to Edeline by treating her like a child.

Ever since Ed had joined the military back when she was 12 years old, Roy had tried to shove his growing attraction to her aside by unwittingly acting like her guardian. He always figured that it would be safer that way, and she wouldn’t get any mixed ideas about their relationship. But seeing her now, all grown up and beautiful and so _goddamn_ sexy and confident was throwing him completely off-balance that he wasn’t sure exactly _how_ to act around her anymore.

To say that he was disgusted with himself was an understatement.

He had _always_ acted like her mentor and parental figure because it was what they were both used to.

 _Now,_ however, Roy realized he would never be satisifed with that kind of relationship when it came to Ed, and it made him feel like a complete _moron_ because he should have realized it the day she had _kissed_ him three years ago.

He wanted her.

In almost every conceivable way possible.

_Physically. Romantically. Emotionally. Sexually._

Roy’s cheeks flushed as those thoughts registered in his head and all of sudden, his mind _cleared,_ and everything – all of his pent-up frustration, confusion and spontaneous reactions toward her back then and the way she always seemed to be the only one to make him lose his composure at her obnoxious antics suddenly began to make sense.

_He was in love with Edeline._

Roy laughed humorlessly to himself as he let the words sink in.

He was in love with Edeline, and if she thought his overprotectiveness was unbearable _before_ , then truth help her if she thought he’d ever let her out of his goddamn sight now.

With his newfound realization fueling his determination, Roy’s eyes narrowed as he stalked over to Ed’s desk and reached for her phone. After lifting the receiver, he dialed Riza’s number and waited impatiently for her to pick up.

_“Hawkeye.”_

He didn’t even bother introducing himself.

“ _I have a special assignment for you, Major.”_

“ _Of course, Sir.”_ Over the phone, he heard Hawkeye set down her pen and whatever document she had been reading. _“Tell me what you need.”_

_“Pack your bags. You’re going to Bethany first thing tomorrow morning.”_

Roy’s lips twitched slightly at the stunned, confused silence that met him on the other end of the line.

_“The religious, anti-alchemist town, Sir? I’m afraid I don’t understand—“_

_“Ed was assigned there by the Fuhrer this morning. She’s never been there before, so I want you to go with her – discreetly – and make sure she doesn’t get into trouble. She’ll be with the rest of Olivier’s team but I want someone I can trust to keep a close eye on her. You have permission to shoot down anyone who tries to attack her.”_ He instructed.

_“Consider it done, Sir.”_

_“Oh and Major?”_ Roy waited until Hawkeye had fallen silent again before he continued.

“ _I cannot emphasize enough that you are to be completely discreet about this assignment. Do not, under any circumstances, let anyone – most especially Edeline – know that I sent you to spy on her. Is that understood?”_

_“Yes, Sir.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in the update, RL has kind of been getting in the way lately. I hope the long chapter made up for it though! Longest one so far! 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who commented and continue to follow the story! Oh and yeah, sorry but I had to move the flashback scene with Maes to the next chapter (again). This one was getting too long lol. 
> 
> The next update may take a bit longer than usual so please be patient with me, I've been pretty busy with work lately. I'll write it out as soon as I can! :D


	9. Misconceptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Edeline arrives in Bethany; while Roy arrives at an important decision.

 

Ed scowled and rested her chin on her palm, staring blankly out the compartment window at the passing scenery as their train pulled out of Central station. Sitting beside her, Major Brogan had already fallen asleep, both of his hulking automail arms crossed over his chest and his thick legs stretched out in front of him. In the seat across from theirs, Lieutenant Maddox was watching the rest of the train’s occupants with his one good eye, while Captain Ridge was humming to himself while flipping through that morning’s newspaper. 

Under Olivier’s instruction the day before, they had actually opted not to ride the military train, choosing instead to take the normal civilian train so as to avoid drawing any attention from the townsfolk when they arrived in Bethany. The payoff for that, of course, was that they’d arrive a few hours later in Bethany than the miltary train would, so it also meant that they had less time to complete their assignment.

To honest, Ed didn’t really mind it all that much though.

She actually _liked_ the civilian train, and she had ridden it enough times with Al back when she had first joined the military so she was familiar with its compartments.

And besides, it wasn’t like a lot of people were likely to approach them anyway. It didn’t even matter that Olivier had instructed them not to wear their uniforms until they got to the Bethany facility because Ed _seriously_ doubted anyone was going to try striking up a friendly conversation with her, given her terrifying entourage of hulking companions.

Smirking to herself at the thought, Ed turned away from the window to cast Maddox a bored look.

“Maddox, I really _gotta_ ask.” She leaned back comfortably against her seat and gestured to her left eye.

“How did you lose your eye anyway?” She asked bluntly, giving him a curious look.

“Heh, you know for a girl, you’re pretty gutsy.” Maddox snorted at the directness of her question and gave her an amused smirk. “D’you know you’re the first person to ask me that to my face in about _five_ years?” He drawled.

“The last person who asked him that was drunk. Ended with him and Maddox here getting themselves kicked out of a bar for destroyin’ private property.” Ridge suddenly piped in with a knowing grin.

Brogan, who the whole team knew wasn’t a particularly vocal person and chose to spoke only in low grunts and occasional one-word sentences, opened a single eye at Ridge’s words and voiced his agreement with a snort.

“Yeah, I forgot to warn you. I don’t really have a filter between my mind and my mouth.” Ed admitted, smirking and waving Ridge’s comment aside. “So really, how did you lose it?”

“Skirmish in Briggs against the Drachmans.” Ridge was the one who answered cheerfully, looking up as he turned another page of his newspaper. “One of their guys fired a stray explosive into a wooden barricade and _blam!_ Stray piece flew and hit Maddox here right in his left peeper!” He cackled, earning an irritated look from Maddox.

“That’s gotta hurt.” Ed winced at that and made a face.

“Eh, I got a spare anyway.” Maddox snorted as he gestured to his remaining good eye. “Figured there was always a reason we were given _two_ eyes.” He added, shrugging.

“Right.” Ed drawled sarcastically, giving him an amused look.

Shaking her head, she was just about to rifle through her luggage for one of her favorite alchemy books when the newspaper that Ridge was reading suddenly caught her eye. Without thinking, she looked up and suddenly found herself staring at a picture of Ling and his new fiancee – splashed out on the front page. She stiffened just then, her features involuntarily coming together into a slight scowl which, unfortunately, Ridge noticed.

“Have you seen this, Lieutenant Colonel?” He turned the newspaper over and gestured to the picture with a knowing look on his face. “D’you know that the new Emperor of Xing is just your age? _Your age,_ can you believe that?! And already, he’s the ruler of his own country and supposed to be gettin’ married to his first bride next month.”

“ _First_ bride?” Maddox snorted in disbelief. “Exactly how many is he entitled to have anyway?”

“About _fifty_.” Ed answered flatly as she turned back to glare sullenly out the window. “ _One_ Empress, and then he takes the daughter of the Chief from each of their country’s forty nine other clans.”

“Holy hell, _fifty?!_ No wonder they gotta get him married young, the lucky bastard, how’s a man supposed to summon that energy to sleep with _that_ many wives?!” Maddox exclaimed, bursting out into loud guffaws.

“It ain’t meant to be lascivious, you sick bastard. It’s a way to make sure the Emperor has an available heir from each clan, _and_ a way to make sure each clan is bound in blood to him.” Ed answered huffily, looking annoyed at Maddox’s reaction.

“Still, how’s a man supposed to keep track of that many wives? I’ll bet he wouldn’t even remember all of their names.” Ridge commented with a shake of his head.

Brogan, who they all thought had been asleep up till that time, grunted in agreement before he closed his eyes again, shifted his position several times, and then promptly fell back asleep.

“His _first_ wife is the only one who takes the title of Empress, and gets to live with him in the palace. The others are just given a scheduled time with him to make sure he sires at least _one_ heir from each clan.” Ed explained distractedly, idly playing with the ring dangling from her necklace while staring blankly at the scenery visible from the train’s compartment window.

“The hell d’you know so much about Xing’s customs and traditions anyway, blondie?” Maddox grunted as he turned his single eye so that he was staring suspiciously at Edeline. 

To her surprise, Ed didn’t even have the energy to snap at him or to put the lower-ranking soldier in his place for daring to call her by such an obnoxiously derogatory nickname.

Instead, she snorted at his words and looked away from the window to give him a pointed glare.

“Because my brother is dating a Xingese princess, you stupid shit-head.” She retorted irritably, rolling her eyes and turning away from him. “And besides, after I resigned from the military, I also spent more than two years in Xing studying Alkahestry so I was kinda forced to learn their customs.”

Truth be told, that wasn’t _entirely_ true.

The _real_ reason that Ed knew so much about Xing’s customs was because she was almost engaged to its current Emperor, but then again, none of her companions really needed to know that bit of information.

“You were in Xing for that long, Ma’am?” Ridge looked up from his newspaper and gave her a surprised look. “Did you get to meet any other members of the Royal Family? How about the Emperor, did you meet him? I hear he’s very smart and charismatic.”

“Oh yeah. I met him.” Ed muttered sarcastically, a strange smile forming on her face as she stared blankly out the window without actually being able to see anything. “He’s definitely an interesting character _._ ”

“I also heard Xing was a beautiful country.” Ridge mused out loud, a winsome smile on his face. “After their mother died, I promised my daughters that I would save up and take them somewhere really nice one of these days. Maybe I’ll take them to Xing.”

“You might want to keep them away from that Emperor though, lest you want them to be chosen as another one of them brides.” Maddox quipped lewdly, chuckling and shaking his head.

“ _All_ of my daughters are too young to get married.” Ridge glared angrily at him, looking unamused by his comment. “My oldest one is just 16. Hell, they’re practically _your_ age, Lieutenant Colonel. I mean, would _you_ want to get married at such a young age?”

“I am _not_ 16!” Ed snapped back sharply at him, surprising _herself_ and them when her golden eyes suddenly flared with anger. “And of course not, who the _fuck_ in their right mind would _willingly_ get married so young?” She growled.

“It ain’t always about age, you know.” Maddox pointed out as he chuckled and twirled his pocketknife idly around his gigantic fingers. “You know _my_ sister? She was only 18 when she married this snooty, fancy-talking businessman who came visitin’ our town. He was more than 10 years older than her too but it didn’t really matter to her.” He told them.

“They weren’t bothered by their age difference?” Ridge asked him, looking skeptical.

“Nah.” Maddox shook his head and reached into the pocket of his thick coat, taking out a small, silver flask. “Said somethin’ about age don’t matter when it comes to love or whatever, I don’t really know.” He shrugged at her before taking a long swig.

Even though Ed was pretending not to listen to their conversation, she frowned slightly at Maddox’s words. She eventually decided not to take a page out of Brogan’s book and not say anything. Instead, she rested her chin on her palm and turned back to stare out of their compartment window in heavy, contemplative silence.

* * *

 

Sergeant Liam Wagner arrived in front of Bethany station at exactly 1PM in the afternoon that day.

Unfortunately, his CO hadn’t exactly given him an exact description of the Central officers he was supposed to be looking for. Having been stationed in Bethany for most of his professional life, he didn’t often receive a lot of news about famous alchemists over the years, though he _had_ heard enough rumors about the feats of the notorious Fullmetal Alchemist to know that he would probably recognize him the minute he saw him.

And sure enough, as he stared at the passengers walking about the station, he wasn’t disappointed.

Even without their military uniforms, it wasn’t difficult to notice the trio of tall, hulking men who had gathered around the payphone near the very back of the station. One of them, Wagner noticed, was the tallest of them all, with thick, frizzy black hair and bushy eyebrows. Both of his arms were automail and he _towered_ over his other two companions, so Wagner immediately jumped to the conclusion that _he_ was most likely the Fullmetal Alchemist he was looking for.

With that thought in mind, he approached the party cautiously and when he caught their attention, he offered the trio a nervous smile and greeted them with a formal salute.

“Welcome to Bethany, Sirs.” He waited until they acknowledged him before he relaxed his stance. “My name is Sergeant Wagner. I was instructed by Colonel Lange to meet you here and accompany you to the facility.”

When neither of the three men responded right away and just stared at him, Wagner hesitanly thrust his hand forward towards the large man with automail arms and gave him a cautious smile.

“And may I just say, Fullmetal, sir, that it is an _honor_ to be working with the hero of Amestris. We’ve heard so many stories of what you and your brother did three years ago.” He averred, causing the automailed man to blink at him and give him a look that suggested that he thought Wagner was an idiot.

When the man continued to stare at his outstretched hand in cold, seemingly affronted silence, Wagner slowly lowered his hand and swallowed the lump in his throat. Laughing nervously, he took a step back and turned his attention to the other two men who were smirking at him. Fortunately, he was saved from having to say anything when one of them, the man with shaggy brown hair pulled into a ponytail, finally took pity on him and extended his hand.

“Good morning, Sergeant. My name is Captain Ridge, and _these_ two here—“ He pointed at the two other men beside him. “–are Lieutenant Maddox and Major Brogan. We were sent here by Lieutenant General Armstrong to accompany the Fullmetal Alchemist.” He told him.

Wagner blinked stupidly at his words and his gaze flicked back and forth questioningly between Captain Ridge and the other two he had introduced. He hadn’t failed to notice that the man he had pointed to as Major Brogan was actually the same man who Wager had originally thought was the Fullmetal Alchemist, so he was more than a little confused – and _definitely_ embarrassed – by now.

_So that big guy…is not…?_

“I—I beg your pardon, Sir?” He stammered nervously, flicking his gaze back and forth between Ridge and Brogan.

“Brogan here _ain’t_ the Fullmetal Alchemist, soldier. You ought to learn to pay more attention.” Maddox answered bluntly, snorting and shaking his head with a smirk. “Gotta say, it was a little funny watchin’ you try to introduce yourself to him like that though.” He commented derisively.

Brogan grunted in agreement at Maddox’ words and leveled Wagner with a disdainful sneer.

“I—I…I apologize, Sirs! It was my mistake.” Wagner stammered, trying not to wince when he felt himself break out into a cold sweat. “If I may ask, Sirs, where is er…the Fullmetal Alchemist?” He asked uncertainly, flicking his gaze back to Ridge, since he obviously seemed to be the nicest one out of the three.

“The Lieutenant Colonel’s just in the phonebooth talkin’ to her brother but she should be about done by now.” Ridge answered as he gestured over his shoulder.

When he saw the confusion on Wagner’s face, Lieutenant Maddox rolled his one good eye at him while both Captain Ridge and Major Brogan stepped aside and finally allowed him to see the person the three of them had apparently been hiding from plain sight. Once Wagner caught a good glimpse of the pretty blonde conversing loudly in the phonebooth however, his jaw dropped and he couldn’t help staring dumbly at the girl in the black leather pants and bright red coat who was, apparently, the real Fullmetal Alchemist.

From where he stood, Wagner saw that she was playing idly with her alchemist watch by tossing it up and down with her left hand, and _that_ in itself would have been impressive enough if not for the fact that, he guessed, by her appearance alone, she couldn’t have been older than 19 or 20 and _already,_ she was a Lieutenant Colonel.

Since she was conversing loudly on the phone with someone, she hadn’t noticed Wagner gaping dumbly at her yet, but he did manage to hear snippets of her conversation.

_“Al, seriously, you’re worrying too much about this! I’ll be back in Central by Friday, it’ll be fine!”_

Wagner hesitantly began to approach her but he froze when Major Brogan grunted and stepped directly in front of him to block his path, causing him to halt immediately in his tracks.

_“Yes, I promise to call you every day. And yes, don’t worry, I won’t show anyone my watch. Jeez, you’re almost as bad as the Bastard. He made such a stupid fuss about this too.”_

Smiling nervously at the larger man, Wagner took a careful step backward and wisely decided to wait for the young blonde alchemist to finish her conversation before he approached her.

_“Of course I shouted at him, he was being a bastard, how could I not? Anyway, I gotta go, I gotta head down to the facility and report in. Alright already, I promise to call you again tonight, okay? Yeah, yeah, okay. Bye then.”_

After she slid the phone back into its receiver, the blonde girl finally seemed to notice that Wagner was staring uncertainly at her from outside the phonebooth. She looked amused at his flabbergasted expression and shot him a cheeky grin and wink before she shoved the doors of the phonebooth open and strode toward him with a slender hand outstretched.

“Sorry about that.” She shook his hand briskly before stepping back and shoving it into the pocket of her long red jacket. “Had to check in with my brother, he just wanted to make sure I got here safely. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, soldier. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Edeline Elric. You are—?” She returned his stunned expression with an expectant arch of one slim blonde eyebrow.

“Sergeant Liam Wagner, Ma’am!” Wagner squeaked as he immediately stood to attention and gave the higher-ranking officer a customary salute. “It’s an honor, Lieutenant Colonel, to meet you! I apologize if you had to wait for me a bit, I encountered a minor scuffle on the way here—“

“Nah, that’s fine, Sergeant. We just got here, actually.” The Lieutenant Colonel waved his apologies aside and bent down to retrieve the large luggage by her feet which, Wagner couldn’t help but notice, looked almost large and heavy enough to fit _her._

More out of gentlemanly instinct than anything else, he tried to take the luggage from her, but before he could even reach it, she growled and snatched it away, glaring at him as though he had just insulted her. When he stammered an apology and hastily moved away, she rolled her eyes at him and proceeded to walk towards the station exit.

Wordlessly, as he trailed after the Lieutenant Colonel and her entourage, Wagner couldn’t help but continue to glance curiously at the young blonde officer in amazement.

A few years ago, he remembered being awed when he was introduced to Roy Mustang, the Hero of Ishval and the famous Flame Alchemist, who had apparently been promoted to the rank of Colonel when he was only 26 years old. Apparently, brilliance seemed to be something of a trend nowadays because here he was again, _awed,_ as he stared at the Lieutenant Colonel, who was undoubtedly the youngest officer in the history of the Amestris military.

More importantly, Wagner was absolutely _floored_ at the realization that the famous Fullmetal Alchemist was, in fact, a _woman._ He had heard of so many stories from his colleagues about everything the Elric siblings had done three years ago, but not one of them had bothered to mention the Fullmetal Alchemist’s gender.

He found the discovery more than a little bit unsettling.

Unfortunately, as Wagner continued to gape at the Lieutenant Colonel with that same starstruck expression on his face, she finally noticed the way he was staring at her and she stopped, whirling around to give him an irritated glare.

“Is there something you want to say to me, Sergeant?” She asked sharply.

“N—nothing, Ma’am!” Wagner froze in place and automatically saluted again, frantically shaking his head as he heard the laughing jeers from her other three companions.

When Ed continued to sneer suspiciously at him, obviously not buying his answer, Wagner relented, though from his own personal experience dealing with female soldiers, he wisely decided not to tell her his thoughts about the whole ‘youngest officer’ thing.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am. It’s just that…Well—to be honest, I just never knew that the Fullmetal Alchemist was a _woman_.” He admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

To his immense relief, instead of looking angry by his statement, the Lieutenant Colonel only seemed to look mildly _annoyed._ Grumbling a few interesting curses under her breath, she rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively at him.

“Yeah well, they _do_ tend to downplay that fact a lot.” She told him, letting out a derisive scoff. “I guess most of the stupid sexist assholes in the military who hear about me like to delude themselves by immediately assuming I’m a _male._ You can imagine the reaction I usually get when they finally see that I have breasts. _”_

“I do apologize, Ma’am.” Wagner blushed when her words inadvertently caused his eyes to drop down to the low neckline of her black tank top. When her golden eyes flashed warningly at him, however, he swallowed and hastily pulled his gaze away, ducking his head down to avoid meeting the blonde’s terrifying glare.

Unperturbed by his reaction, the Lieutenant Colonel just smirked but instead of calling him out on his staring, she grunted and turned around, following the rest of her companions to the station exit. Just before they reached the entryway leading to the parking area, however, she seemed to pause in the middle of the platform again and she glanced suspiciously over her shoulder, a frown marring her features.

When he noticed her expression, Wagner froze a few steps behind her and gave her a concerned look. He followed her suspicious glare to where she was staring intently somewhere at the back of the station.

“Lieutenant Colonel?”

“Hmm?”

“Is something wrong?” He asked.

After a few more seconds of tense silence, the Lieutenant Colonel finally tore her gaze away from whatever it was she had been staring at and shot a distracted glance at him over her shoulder.

“It’s nothing. It’s just…For a minute there, it almost felt as though someone was watching me, that’s all.” She muttered under her breath, mostly to herself, before she finally sighed, shook the thoughts away and gave him an expectant look.

“So…You _do_ have a car right, Sergeant?”

* * *

 

Roy was desperately trying hard not to space out while listening to his date’s endless, lively chatter as he drove her back home in his car that evening.

To be fair, Emilia _was_ a pretty attractive woman – he had to at least give her that.

She was most probably his age, with long red curls, smoky gray eyes and a curvaceous body that was certainly enough to have drawn his attention the first time he had met her in a bar one night but, unfortunately, after the initial attraction had died out, Roy realized that her looks were just about the only thing she had going for her.

All throughout dinner, she had spent the entire time talking about her hair and afterwards, when they _finally_ got out of the restaurant and Roy offered to drive her home, she spent most of the ride complaining about how none of the waiters in the restaurant had managed get her order correctly – which, to be honest, Roy couldn’t really blame them for considering how ridiculously inane some of her requests were.

 _Who in their right mind orders a chocolate cake for dessert but without any frosting?_ Roy thought irritably to himself, gritting his teeth and offering her a charming smile to mask the frustration he actually felt.

Fortunately, Emilia didn’t seem to notice his distraction so she went on with whatever it was she was talking about, allowing Roy’s mind to eventually wander off again and think about work for the rest of the trip.

Within a few minutes, they finally reached Emilia’s house but when he parked the car out in front and turned to bid her goodnight, she gave him a flirtatious smile and reached out coyly to play with his collar.

“So…Do you want to come up for a drink?” She asked playfully, batting her eyelashes at him.

“I’d love to _._ ” Roy blinked and smiled back politely at her but he shook his head and gently, but firmly extracted her hands away from his collar. “But unfortunately, I should probably get home. I have a couple more reports for work to finish for tomorrow.” He lied, giving her an apologetic smile.

“Are you serious? You really don’t want to come in for a bit?” Emilia blinked a couple of times at his response, as though she genuinely couldn’t believe that he was refusing her. “You _do_ realize what I’m offering right?” She asked bluntly, giving him a look as though she thought he was the dumbest person alive.

“I’m really sorry.” Roy’s left eye twitched at the haughtiness in her voice and his jaw clenched in annoyance but he managed to stifle his reaction by giving her another charming, albeit, tight smile. “But I had a great time tonight, Emilia. I’ll call you soon and maybe we can have dinner again sometime, alright?”

 _Yeah right. Like I’ll ever put myself through that again._ Roy thought inwardly to himself.

“Fine, whatever.” Emilia rolled her eyes at him and, flipping her hair dismissively over her shoulder, she gave him one last affronted glare before she popped open the car doors and slid out.

“Humph _. Jerk._ ”

As she stalked angrily to her front door, refusing to look back at him, Roy peered out through his car window and he gave her an amused look.

“Have a good night, Emilia.” He said pointedly, smirking.

Instead of answering, she slammed the doors to her house shut, the sound echoing in the silence of the night and causing Roy to wince in spite of himself when it drew some of the other people walking along the street to glance curiously at him. Shaking his head, he let out a weary sigh and finally started the car, driving carefully out of the driveway and back onto the street.

He had actually considered cancelling his dinner date with Emilia the minute he realized his feelings for Edeline two days ago. Unfortunately, he had already set this date up with Emilia more than a week before then so he figured it would have been horribly rude of him to cancel out on her last minute.

In hindsight, he probably _should_ have cancelled anyway, considering how he had spent most of dinner that evening staring absentmindedly at his plate and worrying about how Ed was doing in Bethany. Hawkeye hadn’t reported in to him yet since she had only arrived the day before, so he had absolutely _no_ idea yet what was happening, and short of actually going there himself, he had absolutely _no_ way of knowing if Ed was alright.

Roy shook his head at himself and carefully maneuvered his car around a corner that led to his street.

It didn’t take long for him to reach his house and, after he had parked his car, he trudged slowly up the entrance steps, unlocked the front doors and stepped into the dimly lit hallway. 

Ever since the Promised Day, Roy _always_ made sure to leave at least one light on in the hallway before he left his house. It consumed electricity needlessly, he knew that, but one time, when he had woken up past his alarm and was late for work, he had accidentally rushed out of the house and had forgotten to leave the light on. When he came home that evening and walked into a pitch black house, he nearly collapsed onto the floor and sent himself into a mini-panic attack.

And Roy absolutely _never_ wanted to experience something like that ever again.

With a sigh, Roy flipped on the remaining lights in the living room before he proceeded to the kitchen.

After pouring himself a glass of whiskey, he walked back to the living room and, using his right hand, he snapped his fingers, igniting a small, cozy flame in the fireplace. Afterwards, he allowed himself to sink down onto the couch in exhaustion and take a long swig of his drink as he stared dazedly into the fire.

He couldn’t get Ed out of his head.

Over the three years that they had been separated from each other, she had always been at the back of his mind, floating into his thoughts whenever he was alone or even during the most inappropriate moments. And frankly now that she was back in Central and had obviously matured into this beautiful, self-confident, sexy young woman, Roy felt as though his senses had gone into overdrive.

It was always so much easier back then.

At least, when Ed had been younger, Roy could always use the excuse that she was a minor and his subordinate to cage his inappropriate attraction to her and keep it at arm’s length. Now, however, both of those reasons were gone and that fragile barrier had been broken – his emotions were now running _wild_ and Roy had no idea how to control them, or at least slow them down.

And if anything, Roy knew that it was _very_ important for him not to move too fast with his feelings.

He had to keep his advances _subtle._

Edeline _was_ still quite young after all, and she probably still thought of Roy as a mentor-figure in her life, so he figured he should probably start making his romantic intentions known to her through little, heartfelt gestures.

Roy considered that for awhile as he took another sip of his drink and gazed thoughtfully at the fire.

He could ask her out on a few dinner dates first; maybe give her some flowers the way he always did with the other women he went out with – but, _no._ That wouldn’t work because Ed wasn’t like all those other women. She probably wouldn’t even like flowers, and just what exactly were they supposed to talk about at dinner? The only subject they could talk about without tearing each other’s throats out was alchemy and Roy seriously doubted they could talk about alchemy _every_ single time he asked her out on a date.

Roy scoffed to himself and scowled at the idea.

He _did_ know that a simple confession wouldn’t be enough to convince her though. Roy had to make sure that she understood completely that he intended to pursue a relationship with her – that he was interested in a whole lot more than just a few platonic kisses on the cheek and holding her hand. In fact, his rather obscenely pornographic dream last night starring the two of them was definitely proof enough of his amorous intentions.

If he wanted to pursue Ed, he definitely had to think of an entirely new approach to all this.

The last thing he wanted to do was to rush her into something that she wasn’t ready for.

This was Edeline after all, not just another random woman he had picked up in a bar.

Roy had known her since she was 12 years old, and he had watched her grow up into the confident young woman she was now. And if there was one thing that Roy knew for certain about Edeline Elric from being her parent figure for four years, he knew that the girl was ridiculously skittish when it came to relationships. He also knew from experience that it didn’t take a lot to set the girl off and send her running towards the opposite direction.

He remembered the words that Maes had once spoken to him four years ago, back when Roy was still trying to deny his attraction to his minor subordinate.

* * *

 

 **FLASHBACK**  

They had just gotten off work and the two of them were having drinks in one of their favorite bars. As usual, Maes was chattering excitedly about how Elicia looked so adorable in her Halloween costume and was showing Roy endless pictures of the little 3-year-old.

Sometime in the middle of their conversation, when Maes began gushing about how Gracia was learning to cook all these new recipes and how she was such a perfect wife, Roy had zoned him out and his eyes inadvertently wandered across the bar, staring at a group of women who were seated a few feet away from them.

One of them, a tall, willowy brunette, caught his attention and when he saw that she was smiling back coyly at him, Roy offered her a bland smile back and eyed her in mild interest. Tossing back the rest of his drink, he cast a quick glance at Maes, and when he saw that his best friend was still rambling about Truth knows what, Roy rolled his eyes and glanced at the brunette again.

When she smiled invitingly at him and beckoned him over to join their group, he briefly considered whether it was worth his time approaching her, but just as he was about to stand up and head over to her table, Maes drew his attention when he elbowed Roy sharply in the ribs.

 _“Ow!_ Damn it, Maes! _“_

“You really have to stop this.” Maes chastised him, a disapproving frown on his face as he followed Roy’s gaze to the brunette woman across the room. “I mean look at her Roy, she doesn’t even look all that pretty, there’s way too much make-up on her face—“

“I am _aware_ of that.” Roy growled back irritably at him as he grabbed the rest of Maes’ beer and down it all in one angry gulp. “And stop _what,_ exactly?!”

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Maes arched a single eyebrow at him and scoffed, glancing at the woman again. “You meet this dim-witted woman at a bar, you buy her a drink, you flirt and do your little fire alchemy trick on her to make her dizzy and fall into your arms—“

Roy’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to try and deny it but Maes just rolled his eyes and went on, ignoring his best friend’s irritated glare.

“—then you invite her to dinner, you take her home and sleep with her, and before you know it, you’re losing interest again and falling back into your cycle of work, loneliness and solitude. And may I remind you – exactly _who_ is it that you end up calling all the time, _in the_ _middle of the night,_ I might add – to whine and complain like a brat about how you’re all alone?” Maes said knowingly, shooting Roy an exasperated glare over his glasses.

“Shut up. I do _not_ whine.” Roy retorted, though he flushed slightly at the truth in the other man’s words. “And don’t judge me, Maes. It’s not like I _want_ to keep at this lifestyle! But I _do_ need to date women to find someone for myself, you know. In case you haven’t realized, not _every_ man is lucky enough to find the woman he wants to marry right away, you pompous ass.” He pointed out, huffing.

“Then just pick one and settle down already, Roy!” Maes exclaimed, laughing as he gestured to the waiter across the room for another round of drinks. “Gracia and I are worried for you, you know. At your age, you’ve _never_ even had a serious relationship before! What does that say about you, buddy?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I do plan on settling down.” Roy grunted, scowling at him.

“And when is that?”

“I’ll settle down when I find the right woman, alright?!” He snapped, ignoring the bewildered look the waiter gave them as he set their drinks down onto the table – no doubt wondering why there were two military officers drinking so much when it wasn’t even past dinner time yet.

“Great! Then let’s go and find you the right woman then!” Maes grinned widely at him, his eyes gleaming mischievously behind his glasses as he handed him another beer. “So tell me then. What kind of woman are you looking for anyway?”

“Blonde.” Roy automatically answered without thinking. “I’ve always liked long blonde hair. Oh and she has to be beautiful, of course.”

“Of course, of course, that’s a given.” Maes nodded in agreement as he took another sip of his drink.

“She has to be smart too.” Roy added after another moment as he frowned to himself in thought. “And I want a woman who’s strong and confident about herself, I don’t like timid women. Oh and preferably, someone who shares the same hobbies I do.”

“I suppose we can work with that.” Maes grinned knowingly and used a finger to shove his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Which hobbies are we talking about here?”

Roy paused and took another sip of his drink as he considered Maes’ question.

“Reading.”

“Anything else?”

“Hmm…Alchemy, I suppose?”

“Are you serious?” Maes froze in the middle of lifting his bottle of beer to his lips and glared disbelievingly at Roy over his glasses. “You realize that kind of narrows your list a little bit, Roy. There are hardly any women alchemists nowadays, let alone beautiful _blonde_ ones. The only person I can think of who actually fits your insane criteria is… _Ed._ ”

At the sound of his 15-year-old subordinate’s name, Roy automatically stiffened and before he could stop himself, a light flush spread into his pale cheeks. Unfortunately for him, Maes noticed his reaction instantly and the other man’s eyes narrowed as he glared accusingly at him, noting the way Roy began fidgeting nervously in his chair.

“Wait a minute—“

“Maes, _drop_ it.” Roy growled warningly.

“Long blonde hair, smart, confident likes to read, likes alchemy… _holy hell,_ Roy!” Maes’ eyes widened and his jaw dropped open as he stared at Roy as though the other man had suddenly sprouted an extra limb. “Those qualities _are_ Ed! You’re—you like Ed! Wow, you’re not actually serious about this are you?” He blinked and continued to stare at his best friend in stunned disbelief but Roy just grimaced and glared back at him as though daring him to say anything.

“Ed is _fifteen_ years old, man! I don’t even think it’s legal to think about her that way yet, are you crazy?!”

“I _know_ that, you idiot!” Roy snarled back irritably at him, setting his beer bottle down noisily onto the table. “I never actually said I was attracted to Fullmetal that way! That’d be against the rules, she’s my subordinate, you realize—“

“Are you sure? Because the list of specific criteria you gave me sure fits her description perfectly.” Maes drawled sarcastically, snickering at him. “See I _knew_ there was something in the way you were looking at her in that ice cream shop the other day! You know, I _had_ my suspicions but I never actually pegged you to be the cradle-robbing type, Roy.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“I am _not_ a cradle-robber, Maes!” Roy blurted out, looking horrified at the implication. “And don’t exaggerate, Ed is not that much younger than me! Besides, you’re one to talk. You’re older than Gracia too, aren’t you?” He accused.

“Yeah, by _four_ years, man! Not fifteen!” Maes exclaimed, laughing.

“It’s not that bad!” Roy protested weakly, though even he heard the uncertainty in his own voice.

“Fifteen years? It’s a pretty big age gap, Roy.” Maes told him pointedly. “I mean, you’re _twice_ her age right now. If you think about it, you’re practically a generation apart.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“Let me put it this way.” Maes smirked at him, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against his seat. “Elicia likes to call Ed her _Big Sister._ She calls _you_ her _Uncle._ ”

Roy puffed his cheeks out, crossed his arms over his chest and glared indignantly at him.

“That’s not funny, Maes.”

“Just something you should think about, buddy.”

“Will that really matter in the long run, though?” Roy found himself asking as he sighed in defeat and leaned back against his seat.

At the dejected look on the other man’s face, Maes finally seemed to take pity on him. He offered him a small, consoling smile and chuckled, patting him comfortingly on the shoulder.

“Probably not.” He relented, though Roy knew him well enough to know that a concerned look continued to linger on his face. “But Roy, keep in mind that she’s still young enough to raise some eyebrows and stir gossip. Especially from all those conservative, bigot Generals in the military. Can you imagine what they’d say?” Maes scoffed at the thought and shook his head in disgust.

“They’re likely to compare you to someone like Dietrich, and we all know that he’s nothing but a dirty old man who just wants a hot young piece of ass.”

“I’m _nothing_ like that disgusting pervert!”

At Maes’ words, Roy instantly stiffened and a surge of righteous anger suddenly erupted from his chest.

Maes sighed and gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know you aren’t, man, but trust me. That’s exactly what all those traditional old bastards will be thinking if they find out you’re dating Edeline. You know that as well as I do.”

Roy scowled at that but he couldn’t exactly disagree with Maes’ words so he decided not to say anything else. Instead, he took another long swig of his beer, desperate to try and wash away the bitter taste that was lingering in his mouth.

As he set his bottle back down noisily onto the table with a loud ‘clink’, he ran a hand through his messy black hair and leveled Maes with an exasperated glare.

“This is crazy, Maes. Why are we even talking about this anyway? I’m just her CO. In the first place, Ed probably won’t even go for someone way older than she is. She’d probably be more interested in dating boys her own age.” Roy muttered to himself, deliberately choosing to ignore the bitterness he heard in his own voice.

“Well, you wont exactly know that until you ask her out, will you?” Maes countered easily, chuckling to himself when Roy froze and turned to blink at him in surprise. “Hey, for what it’s worth…and from what I’ve seen from watching the two of you and how you interact with each other, I think there’s a _slight_ chance that she might like you too. You should go for it.” He grinned teasingly at him and clapped a hand over his shoulder.

“You’re serious?” Roy continued to stare and blink questioningly at him, as though not even daring to believe what the other officer had just said. “You really think I should ask her out? You don’t think it’s a little bit… _creepy?”_ He asked.

“Of course it’s creepy.” Maes snorted, but when all he got in response was another dejected look from Roy, he let out a long suffering sigh and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Oh for Truth’s sake, it’s fine, Roy! Just…let’s give it a few more years. Let’s wait until she’s actually of _legal age_ before you ask her out, okay Casanova? I really doubt ‘ _seducing a minor’_ will look good on your record as future Fuhrer.” He kidded, smirking at the irritated glare he earned from the Flame Alchemist in response.

“Seriously, Maes. Stop the underage jokes. They’re not funny.” Roy deadpanned.

“Alright, alright. I’m just messing with you.” Still chuckling, Maes shook his head to himself and grinned before he reached out, placing another comforting hand on Roy’s shoulder. “Joking and age differences aside, the more I think about it, the more I actually think that you and Ed might be a pretty good couple. She certainly won’t bore you, that’s for sure.” He admitted reluctantly, looking amused.

“I won’t argue with that. That damn brat just can’t seem to stay out of trouble.” Roy drawled as he snorted in agreement and took another sip of his drink. “But…I don’t know, Maes. Maybe this is ridiculous. I mean, this is _Edeline_ we’re talking about. She’s volatile, she’s impulsive, she’s so damn _unpredictable._ I’ve been looking after her since she was twelve. I can’t just suddenly ask her out on a date, she’d freak out and probably _stab_ me—“

“I don’t doubt that.”

Roy’s left eye twitched at his best friend’s quip but he decided to pretend he hadn’t heard anything and went on.

“—not to mention the fact that she hates me and she drives me absolutely _crazy_ sometimes, that dirty-mouthed little shrimp! I doubt we can even survive going out on a date without killing each other.” Roy mused to himself.

“It’s kinda funny if you think about it.” Maes ignored Roy’s nonsensical rambling and smirked knowingly to himself, chuckling into his beer. “I should have known that you’d need someone _way_ younger than you are to match your impaired maturity level, Mustang.”

“Shut up.”

“It’s still your choice, you know.”

Roy blinked in confusion at Maes’ strange response and turned to look questioningly at him.

“What…?”

“I mean, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what I think. Or what anyone else thinks. It’s _your_ choice if you want to risk it and go for her or not, Roy. Well, technically, it’s _Ed’s_ choice too.” Maes added, a thoughtful frown lingering on his face.

After a few seconds, he let out a weary sigh and ran a hand over his stubbled chin. As Roy mulled over his last few words, Maes turned slowly and gave him an uncharacteristically hard, warning glare.

“If you _do_ decide to go for Edeline though, just make sure that you’ve made up your mind about wanting to actually be with her. You’re my best friend and all, Roy, but I _do_ care about that kid a lot. She and Al have been through so much shit already. I don’t want you playing around with her feelings and breaking her heart.”

Roy smiled weakly at him and ducked his head, a self-depreciating laugh escaping his lips.

“And if she breaks mine?” He quipped lightly.

“Then maybe it’ll do you some good, Mustang.” Maes scoffed at him, the expression on his face softening into a teasing grin. “You can think of it as payment for all those hearts that you’ve broken. It’ll be like that concept you alchemists keep saying over and over again— _equivalent exchange._ ”

Roy chuckled at that but raised his drink and knocked it against Maes’ beer bottle in acknowledgment.

“Touché.”

The two officers finally fell into a comfortable silence after that and as Maes gestured to the waiter for another bottle of beer, Roy stared thoughtfully at his drink, mulling over his best friend’s words. After a few minutes, he looked up and glanced curiously at Maes again, the thought of him and Edeline together lingering in his mind.

“You really think she’d be interested?” He asked quietly.

“Tell you what, Roy.”

Maes looked amused at the other man’s question and chuckled, taking another sip of his beer.

“Why don’t we have this conversation again in about… _three to four years_ _time_ , okay?”

 **END FLASHBACK**  

* * *

 

Roy sighed helplessly to himself as he flicked his gaze above the mantle of his fireplace at a photograph of him with Maes and Gracia on their wedding day. His best friend’s wide, knowing grin stared back at him and, knowing exactly how smug Maes would have been if he was actually here to witness Roy’s sulking, a petulant scowl formed on his face.

“I hate it that you’re always right about everything, you smart ass.” Roy grumbled under his breath as he stretched his legs out in front of him and sank back against his couch.

“So what do you think, Maes? It’s been four years since then…Do you still think I should go for it?”

As he took another sip of his drink, the fire in front of him seemed to flicker and when he noticed it, Roy chuckled to himself and tossed down the last of his whiskey.

“I knew you were going to say that.” He mused.

Ever since Maes had gotten married a few years back, the man had done nothing else but set his sights on finding Roy a woman that he could finally settle down with. He had absolutely no doubt that if Maes were with him right now, the man would probably already be planning Roy’s wedding.

He had never dared to admit it to Maes, but Roy had actually always envied his best friend for finding his soulmate so early in his life. He had seen how happy Maes was with Gracia, and sometimes, when Roy watched them, he couldn’t help but wonder if he could ever have something like that for himself – a beautiful wife, a wonderful family.

It wasn’t like dreaming about having a perfect family went against his other dream of becoming a Fuhrer anyway, so he could easily have both.

More importantly, he wondered if he would be able to have that with Edeline.

Roy smirked to himself at the thought, swirling his drink around and staring hopefully at the liquid in his glass.

He didn’t know the answer to those thoughts yet, but he was most _certainly_ going to find out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the rather uneventful chapter! There will be more action in the next one, I promise! I had to get Roy and Maes’ conversation out of the way first; it was an important part of character development. Next chapter will probably focus more on Ed and Riza and what they’ll be up to in Bethany. 
> 
> FYI, I know that the actual age difference between Roy and Ed in the anime is 14 years, but I decided to just make it 15 to make it easier to remember for me. Lol. :D

**Author's Note:**

> So...what do you think? Hate it? Love it? 
> 
> Do you think I should continue? To be honest, I have been just *obsessed* with FMA these past few weeks and this story has been clamouring to written. And after seeing some fics about them, I just fell in love with this pairing! I'm actually writing the chapters out as I go and I have a few already done but I want to gauge everyone's reception first before I post the rest. :D


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